The Future of the Titans
by Jardix
Summary: In the not-too distant future, the Titans have been destroyed. Their team is disbanded, their tower is ruined, and Slade rules the city. Or does he? With Terra back in action, The Titans have a new and deadly enemy, but new allies as well. Can three teenagers bring back the epic team of heroes, or is Jump City doomed?
1. Chapter 1

New Teen Titans Fanfiction

Terra stared out over the black, dreary city. Her troops marched below her as she floated on her earthen pedestal. Her once long, blonde hair had been cut short, and the metal neural interface once again covered her body. She liked the feeling of them on her body; it reminded her that she wasn't alone, that her master was always with her. She looked past the marching androids at the bombed out city. Homeless, forgotten children wandered the ruins like rats. She sneered at the thought. Slade had offered them all a second chance. Most had accepted, and been reborn as 'S' warriors. But the rest…

"Halt! First Column, halt!" She ordered. The fifty odd robots stopped dead in their tracks, and Terra stared in shock at the sight in front of her. A lone boy stood in the middle of the street, defiantly staring right back at her! He was about average height, maybe six foot, and was skinny to the point of starving. His clothes were ripped and filthy, his gray sweatshirt looked like he'd pulled it off of a corpse. His skin was scratched and dirty, but it was his eyes that made her stop. Even from the impossible distance of thirty yards, his eyes burned with hatred as he stared her down.

"What's the matter? Are you scared of me?" He shouted up at her. Her face burned and snarled at him.

"First Column, attack!" She waved a hand in his direction, and the first five robots in the line charged forward. They were eight feet tall, weighed two tons apiece, and had gigantic metal claws for snatching and crushing targets. And yet… The boy _smiled_ at her!

"Titans, go!" He leapt back at the last second as a huge garbage truck raced out of the alley and plowed into her army! The bots were scattered and broken across the street, and she saw the smiling face of another kid in the driver's seat! The first boy hopped up onto the cab and looked over the roof at her.

"We're taking back out city! Long live the Titans!" And with that, the truck roared away and down another alley. The remaining thirty robots stared up at her for orders.

"After them!" She screamed, pointing in the direction they'd gone. But these models were built for power, not speed. Even that slow, rumbling truck could easily outrun them, and the children inside would just disappear into the maze of ruined buildings like so many rats! Terra had always hated rats. Even when she'd known the first Titans…

Nevidimyy, Circuit, and Della all celebrated in their own ways back in the warehouse they called home. Circuit brought up a video of fireworks on his computer, Della danced to music, and Nevidimyy brooded. All was normal in the warehouse.

"Nevid, get down here and party you fool! We won!" Circuit shouted over Della's obnoxious music. He was a short, plump, (despite the poor living conditions,) and generally a happy-go-lucky kind of kid. His perpetually long hair hung in his eyes, except when he was angry, and it almost magically combed itself back. His skin was a sickly shade of white and his hair was red once upon a time.

"Pass. Someone has to keep watch…" Nevid replied blandly. He hated that nickname… He ran a hand through his medium length brown hair and stared out the busted window as another patrol went by a few blocks down. The garbage truck had been stashed far away to lead a false trail. He hoped.

"Nevy, get down here and dance with me before I come up there and dance with you!" Della threatened. Her curly, frazzled black hair hung down to her waist, and it twirled around her as she danced. She shot an almost seductive look up at Nevidimyy, but it quickly faded a second later when he failed to turn around. She had a hopeless crush on him, which wasn't surprising, considering the only other boy she knew was her cousin!

"Neither of those things is going to happen." Nevidimyy said gruffly. She always wore bright colored clothes; tank tops, cut off jeans, high topped boots… The most loud and obnoxious things she could find. Nevidimyy was amazed she hadn't been found by an 'S' warrior yet.

"Come on Nevid, get down here and dance with my cousin or I might have to…" Circuit begged. He turned a shade paler at the thought. Nevidimyy sighed, took one last look out at the street, and hopped down off the metal beam. Della's eyes lit up and she grabbed his hands. He stiffly spun her around with one hand, and caught her on the next twirl. She pressed herself tightly against him and stared up into his eyes, right as the tear gas exploded around them.

"RAID!" Circuit yelled, throwing on a gas mask. Nevid picked up Della and tossed her behind a crate. As she disappeared behind the cover, Nevid disappeared into thin air. Circuit killed all of the lights at once, and the S soldiers were in complete darkness.

"Where's they go?" One of them stupidly asked. Their Slade designed uniforms were thick, armored, and had built in night vision goggles. They were, however, susceptible to electric shocks. Screams soon filled the warehouse as Circuit fried one of the five soldiers. Another one fell to the ground in a lump as an invisible foot caught him in the throat. And then Della lit up and after that, it was a slaughter. Blue flame shot through the building in jets, and cooked the poor men in their suits. Della's hair was glowing bright blue, and her hands were too bright to look at. Nevid reappeared, Circuit cracked his sparking knuckles, and Della stepped down off of the scorched crates.

"That… was fun…" Della collapsed into Nevid's arms and cradled her head on his shoulder.

"You did good Della, you did good." He said softly. He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and set her down on one of the lesser burnt crates.

"Is she burnt out?" Circuit asked nervously.

"Yeah, but we won." Nevid said morosely.

"No we didn't…" Nevid whirled around as a dozen robots stood in the open cargo loading door. Nevid started to turn invisible, but didn't. That would just draw more fire on Della, who was in no shape to fight!

"Well then, let's make this memorable!" Nevid said darkly, taking a defensive stance. Circuit set his jaw and brushed his hair back. The robots started to charge, but never made it!

"Titans, go!" A giant green hawk flew through a broken window, hit the ground as an armadillo, rolled up a concrete ramp and launched himself into the air, and landed as a dinosaur! It swept its tail through the crowd of robots, killed three of them, and returned to a humanoid figure!

Three green crystals shot towards the ground, impacting just short of five more bots. They exploded with green light, obliterating the enemies nearby! A floating, feminine figure was silhouetted against the moon shining into the building.

The last four robots stood almost nervously as they waited for their attack. They didn't wait long. Four blue and gray missiles impacted them a second later, blowing them to bits. Nevid and Circuit stared in awe as the three adults slowly came into the light.

A tall, muscular, savage looking man in his thirties stood on the right, with long green hair and fangs poking out of his mouth. He wore little clothing, but was covered in green fur. He snorted at them, and his tail twitched in the dim light.

On the left stood a tall, slender woman a little older than the green man, with flaming red hair cut short to about her jaw. She stared out at them with piercing green eyes. She wore something that Della would have loved, had she been awake to see it. Purple fabric stretched tight over skin-tight metal armor.

The last 'Titan', as he'd called them, was a little shorter than the woman, and covered in dark metal armor. From head to toe, the only skin Nevid could see was on his face. Strange rods and gears stuck out of the armor at weird angles, and there were enough lights and displays to keep Circuit busy for a month.

"Hello. We are here to help you." The woman said in a level tone.

"You're the… the…" Circuit stuttered.

"The Teen Titans. Or most of them, anyway." Nevid finished, snarling a little as he spoke. The big man, Cyborg, as Nevid knew him, caught his tone and returned the stony look.

"We just saved your lives. You're welcome." Cyborg snarled back.

"We had it under control." Nevid shot back. Circuit looked ready to blow a fuse, (no pun intended,) and gave Nevid a 'what the heck are you doing' look. Starfire, the tall woman, took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Your home has been destroyed. You have no where to go. Come with us." She said forcefully. The tone caught Nevid and Circuit off guard. All the legends said that Starfire was the cute, air-headed girl that laughed all the time. Nevid looked back at Della, who was still near comatose from her exertion. He reluctantly sighed.

"Is your place far?"

4


	2. Chapter 2

**{Once again, I do not own any of the characters or locations in this story, only the three characters I myself have created. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please feel free to leave a review.}**

**Chapter 2**

"This place is… awesome…" Circuit said politely. He was a little ambitious in his use of the word. They were standing in the living room of the Titans Tower, but it was obvious no one had been 'living' there for a long, long time. Cyborg seemed a little insulted, and tried to kick a piece of plaster behind the counter.

"Everything works; it's just a little dusty." He defended. Starfire and Beast Boy, (Who else was green and could change into animals?) stood off to the side, watching the three teens closely.

"It's swell." Nevid said quickly, setting Della down gently on the couch. A cloud of dust came up as the girl's body touched it. He made sure she was in a comfortable position and turned back to the three adults in the room.

"I suppose introductions are in order. I'm Nevidimyy; this is Circuit, and the sleeping girl is Della." Nevid explained cordially.

"I'm Starfire, this is Cyborg and Beast Man." Starfire said politely nodding at each person in turn.

"Beast MAN? I thought it was Beast Boy!" Circuit asked, staring at the ruined living room like it was the White House Oval Office.

"That was fifteen years ago. Things change." Cyborg explained. Nevid looked at Beast Man with a puzzled expression. He hadn't spoken yet. And from the legends, that was unusual.

"So where's Raven and R-" Circuit started to ask, but he was cut short by another voice.

"What are _they_ doing here? Is this place such a rats nest that we let strangers live here now?" A woman dressed all in black came down a staircase, glaring at all beneath her. If looks could kill, they'd all have been dead from the moment she appeared. Her hair was long, her clothes loose and concealing.

"Chill Raven, they needed a place to stay!" Cyborg said angrily, turning to face the younger woman. She was in her thirties, Nevid guessed, and drop dead gorgeous if not for the perpetual snarl she wore.

"So you brought them here? Remember what happened last time we brought in a _needy stranger_?" The last two words she said dripped with malice.

"How could we forget?" Starfire asked, shooting a withering look in Raven's direction. "But we will not just leave these people to die! It's bad enough we've abandoned their city, I will _not_ let these too fall into Slade's hands!" Starfire roared. Nevid and Circuit stood over Della protectively, ready to bolt at the first convenient opportunity.

"Slade is _dead_!" Raven shouted.

"Tell that to the thousands he's killed!" Starfire shot back. Beast Man turned into a small cat and hopped into a hole in the wall. Cyborg sagged and leaned against another wall.

"Enough, both of you!" Both women suddenly turned to him, and then back at each other. The tension seemed to die down a little.

"There's food in the fridge, I think, but if it moves don't eat it. We have a problem with rats all of a sudden." Cyborg said quickly. He then walked up the stairs Raven had come down.

"Don't go in my room, or upstairs at all." And with that, Raven went the same way. Starfire alone stood in the living room, while the two teenaged boys watched her. She sighed, and turned to them with the saddest expression Nevid had ever seen. Her eyes seemed to fade, but soon returned to their greenish glow. She flicked a strand of hair out of her eyes and put on a fake smile.

"Nevidimyy is an unusual name; is it from Earth?" She asked softly. Nevid nodded.

"It's Russian. It means 'invisible'." He turned translucent to demonstrate. Not completely invisible, but the best camouflage conceivable.

"Circuit's just a nickname; I forget my real one." Circuit said shyly. He snapped his fingers and produced a spark of electricity, illuminating the room for a moment. Starfire seemed amused, and almost concerned as they spoke.

"And Della?"

"She used to call herself 'Dell' when we first met her, but we thought 'Della' sounded more feminine." Nevid explained. "Her parents were computer tech's; they worked at a Dell store. They were less then creative, I guess."

"And her abilities?" She asked curiously. She'd stepped closer to the couch to get a better look at the girl lying there. Nevid shrugged in response.

"We're not really sure. Whenever she gets angry enough, she lights on fire. Her hair, her hands, anything around her really, just spontaneously combusts whenever she looks at it. It's like she's a different person, too, like another personality appears. But afterwards, she's like this."

"How long does it last?" Starfire asked, looking back at Nevid. Again, he shrugged in response.

"Good question. Sometimes it lasts a few minutes, other times, a few days. But something is changing with her." Nevid said slowly. He looked down at Della for a minute before continuing. Circuit, who had been messing around with the TV, caught his tone and immediately looked worried.

"She's able to keep up… whatever it is she does, longer and longer. And the 'recharge' cycles are getting longer too. We don't know why." Nevid explained carefully. He wasn't sure how much he should tell this woman; hadn't she abandoned them? Wasn't she the reason they were here in the first place? If the Titans had fought back when Slade attacked, his parents would still be alive!

"Many people with gifts, such as Della and I, go through phases in our lives." Starfire explained quietly. She sat on the arm of the couch and gently stroked Della's hair. "I went through several of these phases myself. Each time, I grew stronger, faster, and more powerful." As she spoke, Nevid remembered the green crystals Starfire had created when they'd first met. _That_ didn't match the legends; he wondered what else had changed.

"I do not know what lies in store for this girl, but as long as she has friends beside her, she will be ok." Starfire told them. Her voice had taken on an almost motherly tone. For a split second, Nevid really thought everything was going to be ok. And then reality caught up. Starfire stood, smiled at them, and floated away towards the stairs. Nevid was reminded of an angel, floating up a stairway to heaven, but quickly shook the image. She turned at the base of the stairs and looked back at them.

"Raven wasn't kidding about going upstairs. Everything you might need is down here. Please, stay down here." She said it forcefully, but not maliciously, like the other woman had. More like an injured friend warning you about a danger they'd faced. Starfire floated up the stairs and disappeared behind a door. Nevid looked at Circuit, who looked at Della. The latter was still sleeping peacefully, and was completely oblivious to the conversation around her. Nevid sighed deeply.

"What the heck, it's a warm bed and a solid roof. We can always leave in the morning." He and Circuit curled up beside Della on the huge sofa and were soon asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

{**As always, I do not own the Teen Titans characters, story lines, or locations, except for the ones I have created. I hope you all enjoy this next edition of my fanfiction.}**

Nevid didn't sleep through the night. It was more of a ritual than an accident; he was just used to keeping an eye out for trouble. He had no idea how secure this 'Titans Tower' was, but seeing how badly it was trashed, he guessed it was no Fort Knox. The lights flickered and died continuously. The wall panels were dented, missing, or rusted beyond recognition. The carpet was long gone; only remnants in corners remained. The sub-floor was steel plating with built in radiant heating; but thankfully those were long dead and rusted away. Nevid looked out the giant window behind him at the stars over the bay. The water was gray and turbulent, the sky was clouded and smog filled, and the stars themselves seemed pained as they looked down. Nevid shook his head. He was too young to remember the city as anything else than the ruin it was today.

He was shaken from his reverie by the sound of movement behind him. A screw had rolled down the stairs. He whirled around, turned invisible, and rolled to his left. Thankfully, his powers worked by projecting a tiny field around him. His clothes didn't give him away when he was camouflaged, and he didn't have to strip naked to be more effective. He stared up the foreboding staircase and listened.

*A shallow breath in…*

*A shallow breath out.*

Nevid narrowed his eyes, trying to see who it was that was watching them. It was almost completely black in the tower, and the feeble starlight shining in did nothing to help Nevid. He crouched behind the pile of rubble and waited. The breathing stopped, or at least faded, and he heard something else. Scraping. A very faint scraping sound, like rubber on carpet. The sound died off. Nevid swallowed hard and stood up a little. Why was he afraid? He'd faced worse before! Heck, he was probably the scariest thing in that tower! And yet…

The scraping sound was gone now. Nevid took a few steps towards the stairs, and listened hard. The only thing he heard was his own heartbeat. He took a step, gingerly, onto the first step. Nothing happened. He took three more. Still nothing. He made it most of the way up, and looked carefully over the lip of the stairs. He was shivering, and he didn't know why. He glanced back at the couch, which seemed incredibly far away now. Circuit and Della still slept peacefully. He shook his head. He was acting like a child! He was seventeen for goodness sake! He stood up fully, stepped onto the landing, and looked around.

It took a good forty five seconds for him to catch his breath from his hideout behind a wall after the shadow moved. He leaned back against it and took deep breaths. Maybe it was Beast Man, taking care of their rat problem. Maybe it was a bird that got trapped in there. Maybe it was a bloodsucking monster that was about to eat his face when he looked around the corner. Who knew?

He peeked around the corner, where the shadow had been, and stared hard at the patch of moonlight. That hadn't been there before. Something had moved over there. He took a tiny step. He was still alive. Invisible, shaking, and scared out of his mind, but alive. He took another step.

On his immediate right was the staircase leading down, past that, the railing for the landing. On his left was a seamless wall, surprisingly free of rust or wear. The carpet was in better shape up there too. Ahead of him was the room of death and destruction. He moved slowly, and was now about halfway to the other room. He stole a glance at the two sleeping teens below him, who now seemed impossibly far away. If he yelled now, how long would it be before Circuit and or Della came tearing up here, guns blazing? About three seconds. The thought emboldened him, and his brain finally made the connection that he was invisible; he'd see any potential monsters before they saw him. He'd known this for close to five minutes, but his brain wasn't the most rational of creatures. He straightened up, walked forward, and made it to the corner where he'd seen the shadow.

Looking around it, he saw nothing but empty hallways. One on his right, the other on his left, and both pitch black. He thought for a minute, and went left. He was pretty sure the shadow had gone that way, and wanted to make sure whatever it was, it'd be in front of him instead of behind him. He moved silently down the hall, straining his eyes to see in the dark. Nothing moved, and he was glad of that. He finally came to another corner, and peeked around it.

He didn't quite jump out of his skin this time when the shadow moved. And he was a lot surer of himself now. There was a figure, short and thick as all get out, which had shot behind a door in the middle of the next corridor. He couldn't make out much, but it moved strangely, like it had _floated_ into the room, instead of walked. He was about to approach the door, when he heard something besides his heart for the first time in what seemed like hours.

"It was a mistake, Star!" It was Cyborg's voice, and he sounded angry. Nevid eyed the door suspiciously, but moved silently past it. It remained shut. There was an open door at the end of this hallway, with a bank of windows on his right. He was still invisible, and almost ran towards the sounds to hear the conversation better.

"We can't take the risk! We're not in any shape to deal with another attack! The Tower's defenses are shot to pieces, the main computer is down, and we barely have enough power to keep the lights on! We don't need a group of stray kids bringing Slade's armies down on top of us!" Nevid drew a sharp breath as he heard it. It shouldn't have been a surprise, but somehow it hurt. He didn't like the Titans. They'd abandoned him and everyone he loved. And yet still, he'd hoped they'd at least _tolerate_ him. He shook the feeling and leaned closer to the open door.

"For the last time, Slade is _dead_!" This time it was Raven's voice, and it was icy.

"We don't know that! Just because we haven't seen him doesn't mean he's not there! And someone is leading this army that's trashing our city!" Cyborg shot back. Nevid heard a noise, and turned around to see what it was. The short figure was back, hiding in the shadows. He was still a good five yards off, and appeared to be listening in as well! Nevid stared at it for a minute, and then shrugged. If it knew he was there at all, it couldn't hurt him from across the room. He stepped to the other side of the doorway anyway, and leaned on the frame now. He could see into the room, and recognized each member of the team. Cyborg was standing in front of him and to his right, leaning on a table. Starfire was across from him, arms folded. Raven stood on the other side of the room, brooding and dangerous looking. And still hot. And Beast Man must have been the sad looking dog asleep in the corner.

"It doesn't matter who's leading the 'S' army. What matters is that there is a highly trained _army_, made up of the children we used to protect, no less, hunting us and these children down! If they are found, they will die." Starfire told them all stonily.

"You said they had powers? Let them use them. We managed ok." Raven said indifferently. Starfire shot her a dangerous look.

"_We_ had a city that wasn't in ruins! We had an enemy that was a stranger to this world! We came together out of want, out of the need for companionship! To save _me_! These children…" She paused for breath. "These children have had no training. No warning. No choices. They do what they do for the sake of survival. They have no one to lean on, no one to protect them."

"Neither did we!"

"We were five! We were strong, and united! We had a world worth protecting!"

"Enough!" Cyborg interrupted the two by slamming his fist on the table. The table shook, and so did the room. Nevid wondered mildly if the Tower was structurally sound.

"They stay. For now. Until the girl is awake. Then they go. We can' keep them here." Cyborg said with finality.

"Is that an _order?_" Starfire asked dangerously. Nevid raised an eyebrow at the scene. It actually looked like they were going to come to blows!

"If I have to make it one, I will!" Cyborg snarled. Nevid was so concentrated on the arguing pair, that he didn't notice Raven's gaze. She was looking right at him!

"_What?_" Raven flew over the table, and grabbed Nevid by the throat! He was so shocked that he could only stand there and gurgle out a scream. His invisibility faded, and he was left there, exposed for all to see. In the corner of eye, he saw the short figure shoot back into the mysterious room. Nevid was a little more focused on the angry woman choking him to death.

"Let him go!" Starfire grabbed Raven's arm, and jerked her almost off of her feet. Nevid fell to the ground, clutching at his throat. He'd started to figure that the last thing he'd see was Raven's pale face, and somehow, he was ok with that. He tried to sit up, and leaned against the wall on his right. Beast Man stood up, the dog looking a lot scarier all of a sudden.

"He was eavesdropping!" Raven screeched, pointing accusingly at Nevid. Nevid stood up, held up his hands, and tried to explain.

"I'm sorry, I was just…"

"Eavesdropping, I believe I already said that." Raven snapped, cutting him off halfway. Nevid raised an eyebrow and continued.

"Following a moving figure down the hallway here. The one that likes to disappear into the room over there." Nevid pointed down the hall at the door where the figure had gone. Raven grew even angrier, if it was possible. Starfire and Cyborg just looked sad. Beast Man sneezed.

"We told you to stay downstairs." Starfire said quietly.

"You're right. Big mistake. I'll take my 'children' and go back to the city _you_ abandoned. I hope we aren't any more trouble to you and your important work." Nevid walked quickly down the hallway, angry and slightly hurt. They'd acted like it was _his_ fault that they needed help! Fine. If they wanted to stay in their tower and act like fools, let them! He came to the staircase and took the steps two at a time. The sound woke Circuit, and Della opened her eyes.

"Nevid, what's going on?" Circuit said sleepily. It wasn't quite dawn yet, but there was enough light to see the look on Nevid's face.

"We're leaving. We aren't welcome here."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**{As usual, I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters, or the locations in this story. I only own the characters I have created. I hope you all enjoy the latest chapter in this series.}**

"What about the old shopping center? I think we left a cache of supplies in the attic crawlspace." Circuit suggested as the trio walked along the dusty streets. Robot patrols were few and far between; as long as they kept their eyes open, they could pretty much come and go as they pleased.

"Someone else found it a few weeks ago; I checked on it late one night. It's gone." Nevid answered, kicking an old can as he walked. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, and he wore his usual brooding look. The Titans complete rejection of his team was still weighing on his mind. But that wasn't even in the right word. They were a family! In Circuit and Della's case, it was literal. He snorted and shook his head. If those four people wanted to sit and rot in their tower, let them. _These_ Titans would fight.

"Figures. Wonder who robbed us?" Della asked angrily.

"Doesn't matter. If they needed the food that badly, they were welcome to it." Nevid said forcefully. Della rolled her eyes.

"_We _need the food now!" But even as she spoke, the edge in her voice faded. She sighed. "I guess you're right." She had slept through the entire ordeal at the Tower, but Circuit had filled her in on the details. All except for the shadow figure Nevid had seen. He hadn't told either of them about that. What was there to tell? For all Nevid knew, the rats were a little bigger in the Tower. Yeah, there were rats around four feet tall wandering around the Titans Tower. That almost made sense.

"We'll find more. Worst case scenario, we go get some from the Guard base in Northridge." North of Jump City, the National Guard had set up a checkpoint to make sure no Robots or S soldier made it out of the area. Containment was difficult, but they managed it. Apparently actually retaking the city was out of the question, but the soldiers there were good people. They always had a hot meal for refugees that came looking.

"Down, down!" Circuit shoved Della out of the way and hissed at Nevid as a dark shape jumped out of the alley in front of them. Nevid went invisible, and sized up the new arrival. It was an S soldier.

S soldiers were tough, fast, and smart. Former citizens of Jump City, they'd been brainwashed into joining Slade's army years ago. Now they were highly trained assassins that hunted down people like them. This one was about Nevid's height, fully armored in flexible Kevlar, and holding a metal staff in front of him. Nevid set his jaw and stepped forward.

"Here I am, come and get me!" Nevid teased, standing not two feet away from the man. He looked confused, and lashed out with the staff. Nevid dodged it easily. The S soldier swung again, and almost clipped Nevid that time. Nevid jumped to the right, kicked the man's knee, and drove a fist into his jaw. The man was dazed, and went down to one knee. Nevid punched him in the throat, and grabbed his head in both hands. A devastating knee to the face sent the man into unconsciousness. And Nevid was never even seen.

"Psh, I could have done that in two seconds…" Circuit joked. Nevid reappeared and chuckled softly.

"Yeah yeah, you're the butt-kicker. Help me search him for valuables, will you?" Nevid rolled the unfortunate man over and searched his belt. Della kept watch while they stripped the man of anything useful.

"Huh, what do you know…?" Circuit mused, standing up and stretching. "This dude wears my size!" The stocky teen quickly slipped into the S soldiers jump suit, and discarded his old sweats and jeans. Della dutifully looked the other way while he changed.

"Too bad you're cousins, Della, this stud over here had a six-pack of abs that would make you faint!" Nevid joked. Della just laughed in response.

"Yeah right! More like a keg of soda!" Circuit merely sniffed a reply.

"I'll have you know my Body Mass Index is in the average to healthy range…"

"Yeah, you're an average, healthy gorilla! You forgot to factor in your age and species when you crunched those numbers!" While the three kids laughed and joked, they neglected to notice the beeping red light on the S soldier's belt. Or the dozen odd men slowly circling them from the building tops. Only at the last second did Nevid see the flash of light shining off of a helmet. He didn't even have time to yell a warning before they were on him. He raised a hand to shield himself from the arcing staff, but it never hit! There was another weapon in the way. And a towering woman standing over him.

"Leave them alone!" The air shrieked as her staff twirled, and the man landed with a thump after receiving three punishing blows. Three more men attacked, but the hooded figure leapt out of the way, kicking one in the stomach, catching another in the chin with her staff, and twirling the weapon over her head to crack the last one's skull. Eight more charged forward.

She held the staff in front of her, twisted the shaft, and it split in two. In a whirlwind of moves too fast for the eye to follow, the woman annihilated the remaining soldiers. In a few seconds, they all lay in pools of their own blood on the pavement.

Nevid stood protectively in front of his friends, eyeing the newcomer as she folded away her staff.

"Who are you?" Circuit demanded, his hands cracking and popping as he charged up. The woman stood completely still for a moment, and then folded back her hood. Nevid's eyes went wide.

"Don't you remember me?" Raven turned to look at the trio, and eyed Nevid in particular.

"That was the most…" Yet again, Nevid was caught off guard by her looks. Her milky white skin, her thin, sharp jaw-line, her large, sparkling eyes… "Idiotic performance in the history of staged attacks!" She spit. And that raging temper, that was the thing that brought Nevid back to reality. That and the fact that she was almost old enough to be his mother.

"That was so obviously a trap it wasn't even funny! They sacrificed one man to lure the three of you into a trap! If you had even _tried_ being aware of your surroundings, this wouldn't have happened!" She yelled, gesturing at the bodies lying around her. Nevid's face flushed, and he stuttered out a defense.

"I was aware of my surroundings! I could have handled them!"

"At what cost? Della would have had to power up, which would have slowed you down in your retreat, and Circuit would have been injured. You would have to carry her, and wait for him. You would have been tracked, cornered, and exterminated!" Raven snapped. Nevid swallowed hard as he realized how right she was. She _had_ saved their lives.

"So why did you help us?" Della asked, finally finding her nerve. Raven hesitated before speaking, and narrowed her eyes at them. Then she let out a deep breath and her expression softened.

"Because someone I care about asked me to."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

**[Author's note: In this chapter I want to go more into the storyline concerning how Jump City decayed into its present state. Raven will be a big part of it, and I will be taking all comments into consideration in future chapters. Please leave reviews on criticism, suggestions, and any feedback you might have.}**

Raven led them through the streets, her eyes constantly flitting around at every sound or shadow. Nevid, Della, and Circuit followed closely behind, curious as to where they were going.

"This city is infested with Slade's troops. And that traitor, Terra, still leads them, I see." They passed a car piled high with earth and rubble, and Nevid wondered what the driver had done to incur the woman's wrath.

"Pathetic. All the firepower of Earth can't retake one small city!" Raven hissed, glaring at a crater in the street.

"Do they not think this city worth taking? Do they fear the shadow left be Slade? Why is it that we have been abandoned?" Raven asked, though Nevid had a feeling it was a rhetorical question. He felt like asking her the same question, since the Titans hadn't exactly been helpful either, but he didn't want to tick her off any more than she already was. Circuit and Della gave him warning looks as if they'd read his thoughts.

"I know what you're thinking. But the Titans have done enough. We killed Slade, twice, and saved this city more times than I can count! We saved the _world_ a few times over! Could the U.S. military not do our jobs even once?" They came to a car, lying upside down and leaning up against a building. Raven ducked under it, and the rest of them followed suit. Nevid wondered why she didn't just fling it aside with her powers. All of her friends had grown more powerful; hadn't she?

"Where are we going?" Nevid asked, finally working up the nerve to speak. Raven didn't respond.

"There are still places in this city that are safe, however. Slade's army hasn't _completely _destroyed us." Raven stopped at a shop and looked in the windows. By the sign above them, it was a pizza joint. Raven kicked in the doors and led them inside. The three teens followed after a second of hesitation.

Inside the shop, dust covered everything. But oddly enough, nothing else was damaged. Tables were upright. Chairs were arranged nicely beneath them. Napkin holders were filled, the light bulbs were all intact… all the place needed was a deep cleaning and it could reopen. Nevid wondered why it hadn't been touched. Raven led them behind the counter and into the kitchen. Again, all was intact. You could have whipped up a quick pepperoni pizza and a round of sodas without much effort.

Raven led them to the walk in refrigerator. With a little effort, she pried the door open and gestured inside. Instead of a few frozen groceries, there was a stairway that led underground! Raven briskly descended the steps without bothering to see if she was being followed.

Nevid turned to his two friends. "Do we go in?" Circuit shrugged.

"Better than hanging out in an empty restaurant!" Della nodded in response, and Nevid couldn't argue. They took the steps two at a time to catch up with the woman leading them.

"This place was built after as a safe-house, if ever the Tower fell." Raven told them, her voice echoing eerily through the stone passageway.

"I swore I would never use it, after what we went through upstairs." She shuddered, but recovered enough to keep speaking. "You will make much better use of it." They finally came to a locked door, with a combination lock the size of Circuit's head.

"The code is 9, 15, 20, 06. Memorize that number." The clicked in the code, and the door swung inwards. Nevid was amazed at the thickness of it. A tank couldn't break that thing down!

Old, cheap, fluorescent lights flickered on at Raven's touch, illuminating the room beyond. The safe-house was huge! Concrete walls enclosed an open area of at least 200 feet square! Concrete pillars supported the massive room; with some minor partitions in what Nevid assumed were bedrooms. In the center of the room was a humongous metal table. Raven strode purposely towards it, and pressed a button on the side.

Nevid, Della, and Circuit all approached cautiously, unsure of what the woman was doing, and if they were supposed to be seeing it. Nevid caught a glimpse of a computer screen over her shoulder, but nothing else.

"Put your hand here." She suddenly ordered, looking at Nevid. He hesitantly held out his hand, and she not-too-gently slammed it onto the screen. A blue light scanned his palm, and then beeped. She shoved his hand away.

"The Titans Bunker is now yours. Use it, loot it, blow it up, I don't care." Raven turned and walked brusquely towards the stairs.

"Wait!" Della shouted, stopping the woman cold. She turned to glare at Della with a raised eyebrow. Della noticeably shrank under her gaze, but swallowed and spoke.

"Don't you owe us an explanation of some kind?" Della asked, her voice cracking on the last syllable. Raven's eyes grew wider; she inhaled sharply, and whisked her cloak out of the way.

"I _owe_ you? I don't _owe_ you anything! This place is a gift, only because I cannot and will not use it! Don't you _dare_ demand anything else!" Raven's glare was enough to melt ice, but still Della pressed her.

"No, you don't owe us, and I won't demand anything. But I will _ask_ for that explanation." Della was pretty scary herself, when she wanted to be. The two girls stared at each other, while Circuit and Nevid watched from a safe distance.

"Sit down." Raven finally ground out. Della raised an eyebrow.

"Sit down." Raven repeated. "I don't like standing for long periods of time, and this is a long story."

"I guess I'll start at the beginning." Raven said quickly, folding her legs as she sat. There were five chairs, made out of steel frames and leather cushions. Nevid, Della, and Circuit sat across from Raven as she spoke.

"There was a time when the Titans were a team. When we were strong. We once stopped a demon lord, the League of Evil, and countless other threats to Earth. But that was before." Raven paused, thinking back on the bad memories. No one pressed her.

"It all started, or rather ended, with the rediscovery of Terra. You all know who she is?" Raven asked, glancing sideways at them. Della and Circuit shrugged, while Nevid nodded. She snorted.

"Terra is the girl who can control earth, but just barely. She is emotionally unstable, unintelligent, ugly, and strong willed. It's not a good combination." She growled. No one said a word. "She once turned to Slade to help her control her powers. She then seduced Beast Boy, betrayed us, and tried to kill us when both of those failed. Eventually she turned on Slade too, and killed both him and her." She readjusted in her chair, obviously uncomfortable with the thought.

"She was petrified, and he was obliterated. What we didn't know was that when Slade came back via Trigon, my father, he made a deal for Terra's soul too. When he came back, so did she. The difference being, Slade's choice was just that; a choice. Terra was forced back into our world, and lost her memories because of it. We didn't find her for months."

"When we did, when Beast Boy did, eventually find her, it was too late. She didn't want to remember any life but her new one. Beast Boy tried hard to win her over, but he couldn't. We needed him with us, and he left her to save our skins." She rolled her jaw around, as if remembering an old injury.

"Slade found her not long after. He didn't give her a choice, he just broke her and then rebuilt her in his image. He welded plates to her body that controlled her from the inside out, allowing Slade to hear her thoughts, and replace them with his own. We didn't know what had happened until it was too late. Slade raised Terra as his second in command, and together, they built an army." There was silence as they all considered that. The Titans, and the city, were taken completely by surprise. Fast forward fifteen years, and you had the Jump City the new Titans knew all too well.

"We fell apart not long after. Beast Boy was battered by her first betrayal, he was broken by her second. He stopped speaking for long periods of time, and eventually, altogether. Cyborg withdrew to his garage, trying to invent his way out of his problems. Weapons were never an issue; people to use them were." She bit her lip and stared at the floor.

"Starfire became for attuned to Earth life. She lost her innocence, her joy in life. She grew bitter and withdrawn, taking on more and more responsibility. She was trying to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. But she couldn't take it. She broke too." Her voice cracked a little, and Nevid realized that once, Raven and Starfire had been friends. No more.

"I… I went through a dark time. I lost control. I tried to kill Terra, and I failed. I ended up killing a bus load of fleeing civilians. I was summoned to my home of Azarath, and my powers were stripped from me." That explained a lot in Nevid's mind! But then again…

"Over time, I've relearned how to do some things. Flight has always been second nature to me. That I retained, to some degree. But the rest is gone forever." She stopped speaking, but had obviously left something out. Circuit asked the question they were all thinking.

"What about Robin?" Nevid expected another explosion, an insult, or maybe even an actual strike. But nothing came but a tear on her cheek.

"Robin… Robin tried to do too much. He tried to fight off the armies of soldiers. He couldn't. He tried to keep the city safe. He couldn't. He tried to keep us together." She wiped the tear away and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "But he couldn't do that either. The loss of the city, and of us, drove him mad. He went after Slade, one more time, trying to do what he knew he couldn't. Slade broke his back." Della looked honestly appalled, Circuit flinched, and Nevid swallowed hard. He'd made a connection.

"He couldn't handle life anymore. Cyborg gave him a rifle, and a suit that would let him walk a short distance. Robin put a bullet in Slade's head." Again, Circuit and Della were shocked, but Nevid was expecting it this time.

"Starfire doesn't know about this, does she?" He asked suddenly. Raven shook her head.

"None of them do. Beast Man doesn't care; he doesn't care about much anymore. Cyborg doesn't want to know one way or the other. And Starfire can't know. Deep down, she still loves him. She can't handle the idea that he's a killer, so I haven't told her. I tell them that Slade is dead, and Starfire denies it. It's a system that works, and I don't want to change it."

There was silence for a long time, but Nevid broke it when he couldn't stand the pressure anymore.

"I followed Robin to that room where you had your 'meeting' about us. He was in a wheelchair." Nevid half expected Raven to deny it, but she remained silent.

"He's the one that sent you after us, isn't he?" Della asked. Again, there was only silence.

"Do you have a hot younger sister?" Circuit asked. Della snorted and almost choked, and Nevid elbowed him in the ribs. Raven just laughed.

"No, and if I did, you wouldn't want to meet her. I have a messed up family." Circuit blushed, a lot, but said nothing more. Raven wiped her face with her cloak and stood up.

"The old Titans are done. We're used up. And we can't fight this army. But you can! Use this place. Fight Terra's army. And never give up hope." With that, she disappeared up the steps in with a twirl of her cloak. They watched her go, and then looked at Nevid.

"What now?" They both asked at once. Nevid never took his eyes off of the stairs.

"We fight."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"Three more!" Della shouted, ducking behind cover. Nevid sighed and shook his head. That was twelve now…

"Blow the walls! Circuit, close the alley!" Nevid shouted above the noise of the gunfire. Circuit rolled behind a parked truck and grabbed an extension cord. Electricity arced and ran down the cord. Two simultaneous explosions shook the street and a building collapsed into the alley. Nevid coughed through the dust and looked around.

"Everyone ok?" He asked hoarsely.

"I'm here." Della replied, popping up behind him. Circuit coughed and waved. Nevid nodded and helped him up.

"That went well." Circuit said as soon as he could speak.

"No, it didn't." Nevid looked down the alley way and counted the bodies he could see.

"Eight bots and an S soldier!" Della said excitedly. She elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a crazy smile. "Lighten up!"

"That's the third time this week." Nevid reminded her, grabbing his gear. He slung the flak vest over his shoulders and picked up his rifle.

"Yeah! We're killing them!" Circuit told him, looking at him like he was an idiot.

"And they're killing us!" Nevid exploded. "This is the third time we had to rely on the backup. The plan B. The 'oh crap' button! Things aren't going according to plan, and we're barely getting out of these things alive!" He hopped into their truck and turned over the engine.

"But we're still here. And the total body count is like, what, thirty five now?" Della asked, hopping into the cab next to Nevid.

"Barely. We are barely here. We're winning every battle, but we're losing the war." Circuit jumped in after Della and slammed the door.

"Loosen up man! We'll win this thing. We have a castle, we have a truck, we have-"

"An S soldier blocking our path?" Nevid shouted, flooring the accelerator. The man jumped out of the way at the last second, but fired a half dozen rounds at the fleeing vehicle.

"Aw dang…" Circuit opened his door, leaned out, and fired a few rounds himself. Della looked nervous and fingered her necklace.

"Not yet." Nevid said needlessly.

"I know. Just drive." She snapped. Her eyes had a dangerous glow to them, both literally and figuratively.

"Circuit get in here!" Nevid yelled, jerking the boy back into the cab. A rocket flew past them right where Circuit had been leaning! It exploded harmlessly into an abandoned building, but Nevid had to swerve crazily into another alley to avoid it. Their old dump truck had seen better days, and this was definitely one of the worst.

They made it back to the 'Lair' as Circuit called it, and parked their truck in an old greenhouse. The glass had been shot out and then replaced with plywood; so far no one had found the truck hidden inside.

"So, what's one the menu tonight?" Della Circuit asked as soon as they'd returned to the bunker.

"Circuit, can you give us a minute?" Della asked suddenly. He and Nevid exchanged weird looks. Circuit awkwardly stepped behind a curtain, the closest thing they had to another room, and made gestures like he had his fingers in his ears. Della blushed, rolled her eyes, and turned to Nevid.

"What's wrong?" Nevid asked after a minute.

"I uh…" She fiddled with her shirt, her hair, and then her necklace.

"I want to try powering up again." She finally squeaked out. Nevid raised an eyebrow.

"And Circuit can't hear this because…?"

"Because he worries. He stresses. He cares about me. He doesn't want to see me fried, or blown to pieces."

"Neither do I." Nevid reminded her. She looked up at him, and her purple eyes sparkled up at him. She had a rare genetic condition where her eyes were naturally purple. Nevid had no idea if it was her powers, her… odd… birth, or something else entirely.

"But you'll let me try. This gem that Raven made me… It helps! I think I can control my powers with it!" She pleaded with him, while grabbing his hand in hers. He narrowed his eyes and looked away. Circuit still dutifully had his fingers in his ears in the silhouette against the curtain.

"She gave you that thing to _prevent_ your powers from taking control, Della. I don't think it works that way." Della looked heartbroken, and folded her arms.

"Her exact words were 'maintain control', actually! Look, it's been a month! We're fighting back, we're eating well, and we have a warm place to sleep! And if I could use my powers we wouldn't be losing these fights!"

"We're aren't losing!"

"That's not what you said an hour ago!" Della was shouting now. Circuit peeked out from the curtain.

"Are you two done yet?"

"No!" They both shouted at once. He shrunk back behind the curtain and said no more.

"You aren't the boss of me, you know! You aren't our unquestioned leader! You can't stop me!" Della finally said. Nevid whirled around.

"You're right. I can't _tell_ you not to." He stepped right up to her, until they were only inches apart. "But dang it, Della, I can ask you!" Her expression softened for a minute, but he wasn't done.

"Haven't I earned your trust? Your respect? I kept you and Circuit alive. I kept you fed, even when it meant I didn't eat because of it. I made sure you slept, and that you had a place to sleep. I found your cousin in an S soldier reprogramming camp; I killed three people and watched my best friend die to break him out! All of that, and you still don't trust me? Still don't think my opinion is worth anything?" He held his hands out at his side, staring at Della as he spoke. She bit her lip and tried to reply.

"I didn't… I didn't know…"

"No you didn't. You didn't need to. You believe me when I said Trip headed north. You had to. That was _my_ burden to bear."

"And this is mine!" Della shot back. "I can handle this! I can control it! This gem will help me!" Nevid shook his head.

"This gem is a tool! Nothing more! If you didn't have control before, you won't magically have it now!" There was silence now. Circuit was now lying down, fingers still in his ears. Della looked like she'd been slapped.

"I get it. It's not my powers; it's me you don't trust." With that, she stormed out and up the stairs.

"Della, wait!" She didn't.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"She's still not back." Circuit said needlessly. Nevid nodded, chewing his MRE slowly. (Meals Ready to Eat.)

"I know."

"It's been two hours."

"I know."

"We should go find her." Here Nevid lost his patience.

"Really? We should go find a super-power, pissed off, teenaged girl wandering around in a bombed out city full of people trying to kill us? She will come back when she's ready." Nevid said forcefully. Circuit hadn't touched his dinner, which was unusual to say the least.

"We still should." Nevid took a deep breath and leaned on his hands.

"Yes we should." Circuit lit up. "But we won't." His face fell.

"You're an idiot. I'm going to find my cousin." Circuit stood up and made for the door. He stopped just at the threshold and turned back to look at Nevid.

"You know she loves you." It was more of a question than a statement, like he wasn't quite sure Nevid had considered it.

"She likes me. She has a crush on me. She doesn't love me." Nevid replied slowly. Circuit threw his hands up in the air.

"I reiterate. You're an idiot!" This time he really did leave, and slammed the door after him. Nevid sighed, slid his half eaten meal away, and stood up.

"Dang it Circuit…" Slid on his boots, a former S soldier's pair, and grabbed his jacket. Now that they were on the offensive, they had a lot more gear and resources. Boots that fit, clothes without holes in them, actual armor in some cases. It was nice. Somehow, though, Nevid almost missed the old days of barely making it. Almost…

"Circuit, wait up!" Nevid had to jog to catch up with the other boy, who was merely walking down the street.

"Change your mind?" Circuit asked aggressively.

"Where are you going?" Nevid asked sternly. Circuit threw his hands up in the air again.

"I don't know. I'm just looking around." Nevid nodded, faking a sincere and thoughtful look.

"She'll be somewhere high and with a good view. She likes to see the stars, and sunset is in an hour. She'll be exposed on her left, as she likes to kneel and lean on her right knee." Nevid rattled off. Circuit just stared.

"I said she didn't love me. She _can't _love me. She barely knows me. I, however, know her very well." Nevid kept walking down the street, already having a destination in mind. Circuit followed, obviously awestruck.

"I, I uh,"

"You never asked, and I never told you. Or her. But I don't keep her at arms-length for giggles. A relationship, any relationship, causes things like this." He waved down the road, indicating their current situation. "Anger. Rage. Jealousy. Pain. We don't need any more of that…" Nevid wasn't looking at Circuit, and his voice was gruff. Circuit didn't press him any farther, and didn't bring any attention to Nevid's watery eyes. Probably just allergies.

"Nevidimyy was right." The words hit Della like a truck. Raven kept going. "But so were you." Della looked confused, and a little uncomfortable in the strange room.

The first time they'd come to the Tower, they'd come through a secret tunnel that ran from the mainland to the tiny island that held the Tower. Della had wandered around the city for close to an hour before wandering right into the Titan's living room. Raven had seen her coming and led the girl to her room.

"This crystal I gave you is a relic of Azarath. I… borrowed… it on my last trip there. It can contain and trap energy like a sponge, but it can also shatter, and release all the power stored at once. That kind of explosion would level Jump City." Raven warned. Della nodded, looking ready to run off again.

"But, it _can_ help you control your abilities. You'll have to meditate, maintain balance, and slowly release the power you create. That gem will put a faucet on your core. You can turn it on and off, let out some, but not all, and be able to control your abilities."

Raven sat on a purple cushion and motioned for Della to sit across from her. They were in the shadow a giant raven sculpture, that seeme to stare at Della no matter where she stood.

"Now, clear your mind." Della closed her eyes and tried to silence all the voices screaming in her head.

"Visualize a core of energy deep in your mind. It's massive. Controlling. Powerful." Della had no problem doing this. She was always on the edge of losing control, of becoming the girl with flaming hair. She didn't have to look far to see her demon.

"Now picture the crystal around your neck." Della did so, putting right beside the giant ball of fire. The crystal orbited the ball, like a lonely planet next to a giant sun.

"That's, interesting." Raven said slowly. Della opened her eyes, and was face to face with the orange crystal around her neck! It was levitating in front of her face!

"What?" She leapt back, and the crystal fell back around her neck. She yanked it off and threw it to the floor, eyes wide in fear. Raven smiled, like a mother teaching her child.

"Throwing the crystal away will do about as much good as closing your eyes. The power is still there, you just can't see it. _You_ levitated the crystal, Della. Not the other way around." Raven gently scooped up the slender shard and held it out to her. Della hesitantly took it, but held it in her hand to keep an eye on it.

"Try again. Picture the two objects in your mind." Della sat back on the cushion and brought the image to her mind.

"Now, move the crystal _into_ the orb of fire. Press it deep into the core!" Raven commanded. Della felt the necklace leave her hand, but didn't flinch, as much, this time.

"Now, bring out your fear, your doubt, and your hatred. Give it its own space in your mind." Della remembered her parents' death, her home burning, her friends dying… This orb was about as big as the first.

"Now fire the crystal! Direct the energy burning in your mind _through_ the crystal! Aim it like a bow, and shoot the shaft of fire at your emotions!" Raven nearly shouted the command, and Della broke out in a sweat under the strain. At first, nothing happened. Then the crystal lit up, and illuminated the room! Della stood up, staring at the crystal levitating in front of her. It seemed to stare back at her!

"There! You're nearly done. Now, hold out your hand." Della did so, and was amazed to see it glow like the necklace! She held up her other hand, and it was the same way!

"See? It's possible to control your abilities. But it takes practice. Discipline. These things don't come easily."

"You sound like you speak from experience!" Della joked. As she spoke, the crystal faded and dropped into her now normal hand. Raven wore a pained expression.

"My powers are similar to yours. But I don't light myself on fire, I rip everything around me to pieces. It isn't pretty." Della immediately regretted the comment.

"So, is this magic?" Della asked hesitantly. Raven shook her head.

"Think of it like electricity. We all generate it in our nerves, just to do things like walk or talk. But you and I generate other kinds of energy. Some call it magic. I don't. You're releasing energy that your body naturally makes; containing it would be harmful."

"Like a fart after spicy Mexican food." Both girls jumped at the sound of Cyborg's voice. He was leaning on the doorframe, watching them carefully. Raven glared at him.

"Bad example." She snarled.

"Good analogy." Cyborg retorted. He turned to Della.

"I thought you'd want to know that close to eight units of S soldiers just started sprinting towards the old clock tower. Figured that might mean something to you." Della's face went white.

"Oh my gosh, Circuit and Nevid! They must be looking for me!" Both adults waited for her to go on.

"We had a fight, I left mad, oh man that was hours ago! I'm so stupid!" Della looked ready to cry or kill someone. It could have gone either way. Cyborg sighed and nodded.

"Yep. It's here."

"What is?" Raven asked over her shoulder.

"The day we bring out the T Car again."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"You really think she's up here?" Circuit asked, looking up the rickety stairway. Nevid nodded, taking a step upwards.

"Yeah I do. Stay down here and watch the door, I'll go up and look around." Nevid knew that Circuit had a deep-seated fear of heights. Truthfully, so did Nevid, and that was half the reason Della liked them. Sometimes she liked to get away from the two of them.

"No, this was my idea, I'm coming too." Circuit took a hesitant step and flinched when the board creaked. They were in an old clock tower, staring up the dizzying staircase that led to the top. The walls were made up of crumbling brick and rusted iron supports, and the floor was cracked concrete. Circuit shivered a little bit despite the oppressive heat of the day, and continued up.

"Della! You up here?" Nevid called out. They both jumped when there was an audible 'thump' in response. They both looked at each other, raising eyebrows simultaneously. Della would have been silent or vocal, she wouldn't have banged anything. They hurried up a little faster now, each going through different horrific theories in their mind. Was she hurt? Sick? Captured? Or was it her at all…

"Della!" Nevid threw open the trap door and jumped up into the room above.

"Nope." A rifle butt caught him in the chin, and Nevid went down. Circuit yelled and leapt into the room after him, trying to tackle the S soldier that had attacked Nevid. He got a knee to the face for his trouble.

"Wake up." Circuit was awoken by a swift kick to the ribs, and he groaned a response.

"Wake up!" Circuit opened his eyes to see a blonde woman standing over him. Her hair was cut short, her eyes were cruel and sunken, and she was covered in metal plates.

"Terra!" Circuit heard Nevid's voice in a haze, and struggled to turn around. Nevid was chained up between two poles, and he looked like heck. Cuts and bruises covered his face, and his clothes were ripped and torn.

"Leave him alone!" Terra smirked. Circuit rolled to a sitting position and tried not to throw up from the pain. He'd been beaten pretty well too.

"What's the matter? Don't like seeing your boyfriend getting beat?" Terra slugged Nevid in the gut, hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Circuit tried to charge up, but he was out of juice. He'd need to charge on something if he wanted to use his powers. Right now he could barely remain conscious.

"You will pay for all your crimes, monster!" Nevid could barely talk through the mouthful of blood, but he managed it.

"MY crimes?" Terra demanded, grabbing Nevid by his hair. They were chained up in the middle of the street, with dozens of S Honor guards standing at attention.

"YOU and scum like you are the ones that will be punished!" Nevid looked into the woman's eyes, as if searching for something.

"You are insane." It was a simple statement, but it only made Terra angrier. She slapped him in the mouth, and screeched in rage.

"The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again, expecting a different result!" Terra snarled. Nevid actually laughed in the woman's face!

"And so you attack those who oppose you. But your attacks are what make people oppose you! You are the definition insanity, Terra, and some day you'll be forgotten, just like me." This was too much for Terra to take, and she started kicking him viciously. Nevid tried turning invisible, hoping somehow to avoid a few of her blows, but she only kicked faster and harder.

"Enough! Leave him alone!" Circuit was throwing himself forward as hard as he could, trying to break free of the ropes. Terra turned, panting hard from the exertion.

"What was that?" She stared cruelly at him, and started walking towards him. Circuit didn't flinch, he only glared back. She bent down to be at eye level with the boy.

"You'll make a fine trooper, once we scrub out all of that rebellious attitude. And I hear you have powers? Even better. We need people like you." Circuit felt like spitting in her face, but saw an opportunity instead.

"Who's we? You and your ego?" He demanded. She smirked in response.

"My master, Slade, and I. We have big plans for this city, and eventually, for all of Earth. But we'll need an army, and every army needs soldiers." She stood up, pulled a whip off of her belt, and cracked it in the air.

"And every soldier needs discipline!"

"TERRA!" Everyone, including the S soldiers standing at attention, turned at the sudden noise. Up a small hill, silhouetted against the sun, four people stood staring down at them. But it was the apparent leader that got their attention. Beast Man glared down at Terra in his human form, and looked ready to kill. Cyborg, Raven, and Della stood behind him. Nevid smiled, and Circuit laughed.

"What… Beast Boy…" Terra stuttered and shook at the sight of him. Circuit squinted against the light, looking for the last member of their team. He should have been listening instead. A huge sonic boom erupted above them, and the pavement shook under their feet! When the dust settled, Starfire stood between Nevid and Circuit, while green crystals buzzed around her like angry bees.

"It is over, Terra!" She growled.

"No! This can't be…" Terra backpedaled, and the earth around her shook. Her fists glowed yellow under her gloves, and her eyes followed suit. But before she could do anything, Beast Man leapt into action. He turned into a kangaroo, launched himself off of the hill, and then into a whale when he smacked into the pavement! A dozen S soldiers were scattered, and when the dust cleared, a gorilla stood in the crater, snorting angrily. Terra had shielded herself with a boulder, but threw it aside as she stared at her attacker.

"Fine. Let's finish this, lover!" The dust swirled again, and the two were lost from sight. Starfire ripped the ropes that held Circuit and Nevid to shreds, sending her swarm of crystals at the line of soldiers coming at them. They exploded with deadly force, and Cyborg's rockets soon joined them.

"Your timing is impeccable." Circuit grunted, standing up from the dirty pavement.

"We were almost too late. I am glad Terra didn't just kill you outright." Nevid joined them, but his eyes were on Della as she raced down the hill.

"Nevid!" She jumped almost into his arms and hugged his neck.

"I am so sorry, this is all my fault!" Her voice cracked as she spoke, but Nevid shook his head.

"Not here, not now. But Della?" He pulled her off of him and wiped a tear off of her face.

"I think it's time to try those powers of yours." Her expression hardened and she pulled out her necklace.

"Me too."

"Guys! Incoming!" Cyborg fired a sonic blast over their heads, and shouted a warning as another line of soldiers erupted from a building. Bullets filled the air, while Beast Man and Terra still fought behind them. Raven pulled out her staff, Circuit cracked his knuckles, Nevid turned invisible, and Della's eyes glowed.

"Titans, Go!"

A sonic blast caught one man in the face, blinding and deafening him instantly. A metal fist finished the job, and he sunk to the ground. Three more men ran at the giant man, so grabbed two of them in his fists, and slammed them together on top of the third.

"Bad-guy sandwich! Boo-yah!"

Another soldier tripped on thin air, but was graciously caught by the invisible knee aimed at his face. His buddy was close-lined on Nevid's arm, and an elbow to the throat sent him reeling. Two more leapt on top of him, but he rolled out of the way and let them fall into the open sewer access below him. He could hide things besides himself, too.

An electrical jolt stopped two men cold, and Circuit grabbed their belts as he walked past. He jerked them to the ground, grabbed their metal staves, and grinned broadly. Three more men leapt at him, but the whirling, electrified metal stunned them on impact. He spotted a water tower above them on a building, and whistled at Cyborg.

"A little help?" He asked, pointing above him. Cyborg grinned and shot a missile at one leg of the tower, and the resulting explosion sent the whole tank toppling to the ground. Water ran everywhere. Water conducts electricity. Enough said.

Those that hadn't been fried by Circuit's attack swarmed Della. The crystal around her neck levitated upwards, and her eyes glowed.

"Bring it on!" She shouted at the oncoming men. Her hands erupted in blue flame, and she shot balls of fire through the air! She lit up the street and the front of the building, throwing fireball after fireball. The first eight men were sent running and screaming, while the building they'd been inhabiting burst into flames! As soon as Della saw that they were retreating, she closed her eyes and concentrated. The crystal dropped to her chest, and her eyes returned to their normal color. She took a deep breath and stepped back, completely conscious! The crystal had worked!

Raven would have congratulated her, but she was busy working on her group. The last squad of S troops ganged up on her, thinking she'd be the easy target. They were wrong. One man caught a staff butt to the chin, and a foot to the crotch. The air screamed as the staff sliced through it, and another man was brought down at it stopped. She lunged at another soldier, stabbing quickly at him as she walked forward. He dodged every blow, and managed to grab her weapon on the last attempt. She smiled, and jerked it back towards her. He was pulled off balance, and received a kick to the head for his troubles. The last few men scattered and ran, but were taken down by spinning metal stars! Raven tucked the last shuriken into her belt and turned.

The battle had gone well. Terra's forces had been beaten back. They all looked to where Beast Man had been fighting, and Raven's heart caught in her throat. As the dust settled, she could make out a large gorilla standing straight-backed in the middle of the street. She could also see the gigantic stone spike lodged in his chest.

"Beast Boy!" She screamed out his old name out of habit, and he looked up at her. He resumed his human form, which only made the wound worse.

"I… am… finished…" Blood trickled out of his mouth, and he said no more.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

**[Author's note: I realize I am stepping away from the original storyline, but I hope it is still believable is being a Teen Titans story. Please leave any input you have in the review section below; I work off of random ideas but rely heavily on reviews from readers like you. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.]**

Everyone in the street turned and stared at the sight before them. Beast Man, the giant, green, furry hero, was impaled. Time seemed to stop. Nevid could hear his heart beating in his chest. And then everything moved at once.

Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg all rushed over to him, while Nevid and his team moved to stand between them and where Terra had been. They watched as the dust cleared, and a woman appeared seemingly out of nowhere. As the air cleared, Nevid realized that Beast Man was no punk.

Terra was a mess. Long, rending cuts went up and down her arms, huge bruises showed through the holes in her clothing, patches of her hair were ripped out, and both eyes were blackened. She looked up at the three younger Titans through swollen eyes.

"What's the matter, kids? Never seen… death, before?" She sputtered, choking on her own blood halfway through. Nevid narrowed his eyes.

"You will pay for all the lives you've taken, traitor!" Nevid threatened. Terra laughed insanely.

"Hah! And so will you, young _hero_!" With that, she threw her arms up into the air, and a rocky bubble formed around her. It lifted off of the ground and flew out of sight. Nevid started to relax, before he saw what was coming down the street.

Row upon row of shiny, metallic soldiers filled their view. Combat Robot units, hundreds of them! Their metal claws moved in unison as their stubby legs marched, while their red, sightless eyes scanned in front of them. Nevid and Circuit looked at each other.

"Remember Second Street and the ice-cream truck?" Nevid asked, a half smile forming on his face. Circuit's face paled.

"That almost killed you."

"Do you have enough juice or not?" Nevid asked impatiently. Circuit nodded gravely.

"Just enough." The two boys each held out their closed fists; one at the line of robots, one pointing at each other. Nevid took a deep breath and touched his fist to Circuit's.

Della had no idea what was going on; she hadn't been there that day. But as she watched, Nevid faded out of sight, and then back again. Circuit sparked and popped, while lightning bolts shot out of him and onto Nevid. Both boy's still pointed their fists at the line of robots. Della was expecting some kind of huge explosion, or dramatic effect. Nothing of the kind happened. Circuit gasped, Nevid went down to one knee, and his nose bled. But the most visible effect was in front of them. Everyone of the advancing bots stopped on a dime, and fell forward. The sound of the clanging metal was deafening! Della stared in awe, and then tried to help Nevid up. He was definitely winded, and looked ready to pass out.

"What just happened?" Della asked in wonder, looking between Circuit and Nevid. Nevid smiled.

"My powers work by making a very finely tuned magnetic field to repel photons, or at least bend them. Magnet plus electricity makes an electromagnet, which kills technology. Thankfully we can direct the blast, or Cyborg and his car would be toast right now." Nevid wiped the blood off of his lip and stood up, leaning heavily on Della.

"Speaking of the big guy, how are they doing?" They all turned around to see the three Titans leaning over the now horizontal body of their friend. They approached carefully, not sure of how the three adults were taking it.

Starfire wept, openly and unashamedly. She was kneeling next to the man, shaking in grief.

Cyborg sat in a daze, as if not comprehending what he was seeing. A solitary tear streaked down from his one real eye. He kept opening and closing his mouth, as if trying to speak.

Raven was the one who had apparently gotten him down from the spike. She was covered in his blood, in any case. Her long hair almost touched the body, and she let it hang in front of her eyes. She sat cross legged, her hands clasping one of his, and made no noise. Della put Nevid's arm around Circuit and walked over to Raven.

"Raven?" She asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Raven's head snapped up, her body went stiff, and she _shot_ into the air, flying faster than Della thought possible. She disappeared into the clouds, and they saw no more of her. Circuit and Nevid just stood there, not knowing what to do, while even Della shed a tear for the fallen Titan.

Six people stood on the rocky isle the Titans called home. The Tower stood above them, as if the seventh grieving member. Cyborg had put together a solid titanium coffin, with a glass window where Beast Man's head lay. They all looked on in silence, remembering the man and who he'd been.

Della, Nevid, and Circuit stood a little behind the three original Titans, watching as they mourned their friend. Raven had returned, though she wouldn't speak to anyone. Cyborg had recovered from his stupor, but just barely. Starfire alone seemed somewhat normal as she stood above the casket.

They'd prepared a hole to lay him to rest, but no one moved to put the casket in it. No one spoke at all, until the real seventh member joined them.

"His name was Garfield." They all jumped at the sound, and turned to see who had spoken. Robin sat in his wheelchair, not three feet behind them!

"His name was Garfield Logan. He had a mother, who died before her time, and a father that he never knew. He had no blood relatives left in this world." Robin looked beyond worse for wear. His hair was long and uncombed; his face was thick with stubble.

"He was first a member of the Doom Patrol, but left a team in search of a family." He wheeled himself closer to the casket, and they all moved to allow him entry. His clothes were dark and baggy, like Nevid's had been a few weeks ago.

"He came to us in a time of crisis, and without him, I don't know that we would be standing here today." But most of all, the detail that caught all of their eyes, was his lack of a mask. No one recognized his 'secret identity' of course, but he always wore that mask, no matter what.

"He was my friend, and he was my brother. He will not be forgotten." Robin finished. He put a hand on the casket, and closed his eyes. No one spoke.

"He will be." Nevid said slowly, and everyone whirled around to look at him. Robin especially straightened up. "IF we do nothing. IF we let his murderer go free. Terra is still out there. So is her army. If Slade is truly dead, then we only have one target left."

Robin turned his chair around and approached Nevid. The two stared hard at each other, each sizing the other one up.

"We've hidden in the shadows too long." Robin finally said, breaking his stare. The rest of his team watched as he turned to face them.

"Slade is dead. I have to live with that. But his apprentice is still running his empire. That's going to change." His voice took on a new edge, and they all listened intently.

"We're done letting children fight our battles for us. We're down fighting amongst ourselves. And we're done letting that traitor run our city!" His eyes shone almost with their own light as he spoke. Even the clouds overhead seemed to part as he spoke.

"Today, the Titans retake their city!" Cyborg smiled for the first time that day. Starfire looked at Robin like the last fifteen years hadn't happened. Like they were still the heroes she'd always wanted to be. Raven took one last look at her fallen friend, and then stared up at Nevid and his friends. Robin caught her stare, and turned to look back at them.

"But we're out of tune. We're rusty. We need time to rebuild, both our home," He looked up at the rusting tower above them. "And our lives." Robin wheeled right up to Nevid, and looked him in the eye.

"And I would be honored if you and your team would help us." Nevid didn't say a word, but waited for the older man to finish. "Or rather, if you would allow us to help _you_." That caught the three teens off guard. Circuit especially looked ready to fall over. Nevid merely nodded.

"Together. Once a Titan, always a Titan." He held out his hand, and Robin slowly took it.

"Together."

"Master, these children, they attacked our troops! They've ruined our hold over the city! These _rats_ now openly defy us! What are we going to do?" Terra demanded, staring up at the figure on the throne. Her eyes shone with an insane light. Her injuries were still gruesome as ever, though another S soldier was tending them as she spoke. The figure on the throne didn't move. Terra stood up, shooing away the man trying to patch up her wounds.

"Master, they're coming! I killed one of them, the one you told me to! I listen to your commands, master!" She crawled on her hands and knees up the stony steps to the throne, staring up at the silhouette of the large man.

"I hear, and I obey, master! I am your apprentice!" Terra reminded the figure, her voice cracking as she spoke. But the man on the throne didn't respond. He never did. The now rotting carcass of Slade Wilson couldn't respond. It could only stare at the madness before it.

"I am your apprentice!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"Alright, let's get started." Robin, or Dick, as he preferred to be called now, called them all to attention. Nevid, Della, and Circuit all sat in the corner, chatting idly among themselves. Starfire and Cyborg were working on repairing the bank of computers on the right side of the room, while Raven floated down the stairs as she heard Dick speak.

All three of the younger Titans had offered to help the adults repair their home, but each time they'd been met with firm but polite 'no's. It was their home, they said, and their responsibility. Circuit seemed a little offended, but Della and Nevid understood. They'd probably feel the same way.

"I've got some ideas on how we can start to rebuild, but I'll need your help. I haven't exactly kept up on current events." Dick looked a lot better that day; it'd been three days since the service for Beast Man. Dick had shaved, cut his hair, and now wore black combat fatigues. He was still in his wheelchair, though he and Cyborg could occasionally be heard talking about a new gadget that might fix that. They spoke about it openly, but apparently Cyborg was close to making Dick a new set of legs!

For now, though, he was confined to a wheelchair and a computer. They all stood around him as Dick pulled up a map of the city on the gigantic screen in front of them.

"Our first priority should be the leadership of Terra's army. I know that she's in command, but she has to have some sort of hierarchy below her to handle the rest of her troops. That hierarchy is our target. Cut off the head, and the rest of the snake dies." Dick quoted. Nevid nodded in agreement; he'd always thought that was a good plan, but there was a problem with it.

"Unfortunately, we have no idea where or who these people are." Dick said with a sigh. That had been the problem Nevid was thinking about.

"We'll need a way to track and identify potential leaders in the army. I have one idea, but it'll take work." Dick enlarged and pointed at a small portion of the map.

"This is the Jump City power plant. It runs off of geothermic power, which makes it nearly self-sustainable. It was taken offline years ago when the city was evacuated. I want to bring it back online." Nevid raised an eyebrow, surprised at the boldness of the idea. Why did he need so much power?

"We need the plant online to power up our way of finding Terra's lieutenants. Cameras." Dick zoomed out on the map, and then brought up images of buildings all over the city.

"Traffic cameras, security cameras, any kind of camera you can think of. Jump City was wired with them a long time ago; I think most of them are still working." They all stared in silence while they thought. It _was_ a good plan, but it was risky. What if the cameras _weren't_ still online? They might have given Terra's army a leg up in resources for no gain on their part.

"I know it's risky, and I know Terra will be able to use the power too, but I think it's worth the risk if can track Terra's troops in real time." Dick turned to face the six people behind him.

"Cyborg, Circuit, Nevid, I want to send you three to the power plant. I don't know what's wrong with it, but if anyone can fix it, you two can. Nevid, you'll want to run interference while they work. I doubt Terra would leave so important a structure unguarded." Dick told them. The three guys in question nodded.

"Starfire, Raven, Della, I've identified a convoy of S troops moving down the harbor. They're gathering salvage to build more bots, since they lost so many a few days ago." Dick shot an approving look at Circuit and Nevid.

"They're out in plain sight, which means they aren't expecting an attack. They should make perfect targets." The three girls all nodded as well.

"I'll stay here and coordinate, as well as hack into the city's mainframe to see about activating the cameras as they're powered up. Any questions?" Dick asked. Nevid hesitated, but then spoke up.

"A couple of things, actually." Dick raised an eyebrow and shifted in his chair to look at the younger boy.

"First and foremost, this camera idea is ok, but there's intel out there just waiting to be picked up. A _lot_ of people stayed behind in this city after the official evacuation; most of them have survived here for years. They might know everything we need to, we just have to find them." By the look on Dick's face, Nevid knew he didn't like the idea. Nevid kept going.

"Second, the military hasn't _completely_ abandoned us. There's a substantial garrison on the edge of the city; if we plan on retaking Jump City, we'll want to get them involved. Coordinating our attacks with the armies could mean the difference between survival and success. My own team has had limited success in fighting S soldiers on the street, but we learned fast that without help, they will win out with sheer numbers." Nevid finished his speech, and Dick narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"This is _our_ city. We don't need help from soldiers or refugees to take it back." You could have heard a pin drop into a pile of feathers when Dick spoke. Suddenly, there was a visible gap between the old Titans and the new ones. Circuit and Cyborg especially seemed surprised and anxious. Starfire ended up coming to the rescue.

"I'm sure that _any_ help from anyone will be helpful in this mission. But we don't have to decide our entire strategy today. Let's go forward with these two plans now; we know what immediate effects they will have." Nevid and an Dick both stopped glaring at each other to look at her.

"And I'm sure that we won't have to stick to _one_ strategy; there are seven of us! We can each pursue different angles to the same goal." Della added. Neither Dick nor Nevid said anything for a moment, until Dick turned back to his computer.

"Let's move. You all have your instructions, I'll be here if anyone needs me." Nevid shook his head and headed for the door, with Circuit and Cyborg close behind. Della, Starfire, and Raven all headed for the roof. But Starfire hesitated.

"Robin?"

"It's Dick, Starfire. I'm not wearing the cape anymore."

"Robin." She said in a more firm tone.

"You can't fight an enemy if you're still fighting yourself." With that, she floated off after Della and Raven.

"Man, this place is a dump!" Cyborg complained, rummaging through a pile of garbage. They were in the power plant, but it was in far worse shape than they assumed. Circuit was trying to get the backup generator online, while Cyborg and Nevid searched the complex for any structural failures. So far, they'd found rats and trash.

"This place is enclosed, confusing, and dark. It's perfect for people trying to hide from S soldiers. _I've_ hidden here before." Nevid said, examining a small necklace he'd found on the ground. Cyborg was tearing the place apart, trying to clear a path. Nevid could see past the trash. _That was sleeping area._ Nevid thought to himself as Cyborg stepped into a burrow of newspapers. _That was a hiding place for food. That was weapon cache. That was a place where a man died._ This place one made Nevid stop and think. There was a piece of a mattress covered by a wire cage, with blankets thrown on top of it to enclose it. There was blood on the mattress, and dirty water in containers nearby. He'd been brought here, treated, and eventually died on this mattress. Nevid wondered who the man had been.

"What is this stuck to my boot?" Cyborg yelled, trying to scrape something off of his left foot. Nevid looked up at the sight, and then smiled.

"That would be a meal. Here." Nevid grabbed a stick and peeled the old slice of meatloaf off of the metal treads. Cyborg looked like he was going to be sick.

"Not all of us could fly to another city for their choice of steak and potatoes. Some of us lived on dead squirrels and muddy water." Nevid's voice had taken on a new tone, and Cyborg softened.

"Hey man, I'm sorry. I didn't know how bad it was out here." As he spoke, Nevid was looking over his shoulder. Cyborg hadn't seen it yet, but they were being watched.

"I can fly, but I'm not strong enough to carry you." Raven told Della as they ascended to the roof. The teenager turned to Starfire.

"Don't look at me! I don't do passengers!" Starfire shot back with a smile. Della looked back at Raven with fake concern.

"Then how am I getting down there?" She motioned towards the sheer drop off of the tower. The group of S soldiers were casually gathering up metal far below them on the mainland. Starfire and Raven exchanged conniving looks.

"Initiation!" They both chanted. Della paled.

"Now come on! That's not funny!" Della said nervously. Starfire and Raven merely smiled, and took a step towards the girl.

"No, no, noooooooooo!" Della was ripped off of the roof by the two women, and dragged into the air by her arms!

"Let me go!" Della screamed. Raven just laughed as she flew.

"You may want to rephrase that…"

"PUT ME DOWN!" Della shrieked, eyes wide in terror. Raven and Starfire exchanged another mischievous look, and then shot lower. Della was facing behind the pair, and couldn't see how close to the ground they were when she was released. She fell to the ground in a fetal position, though she could have easily just landed on her feet. Unfortunately, she'd been unceremoniously dumped in the middle of the S soldier camp!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"Hello?" Nevid stepped past Cyborg to get a better look at the person, who darted behind cover as soon as Nevid spoke. Cyborg flipped up a mini flashlight hidden in his shoulder and scanned the area. There was nothing but piles of old plastic and metal stacked in a corner. He gave Nevid a skeptical look, which irritated the younger Titan to no end.

"There's someone here." He pulled the yellow communicator he'd been given out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"Circuit? Looks like we've got company. Keep your eyes open up there." There was no response.

"Circuit? You there?" At this point Cyborg tapped the metal plate of his ear, where his own communicator was built in, and called out too.

"Little C! Come on man, you're scaring us!" Still Circuit didn't answer.

"Lovely. Either he lost his communicator, it broke, or he took it apart to fix something else." Nevid concluded, looking around the corner where he'd seen the person.

"It didn't break." Cyborg said firmly. Nevid held up his hands.

"Ok, fine! It didn't break. There are other options. In any case, let's get up there and figure out what happened." Nevid gestured down the hallway they'd come through with one arm.

"Good idea." As Cyborg spoke, they heard an ear-piercing shriek. The two Titans instantly froze.

"Is Little C's voice a lot higher when he screams or…?"

"Or are we not alone?" Nevid finished for him. He shook his head. "Circuit doesn't scream. If that was him, he's either dead, or he's dying. Let's move!" They both took off at a dead run for the staircase they'd seen Circuit go up, jumping over rubble and piles of garbage as they went. Nevid slid on the concrete as he reached the stairs, but Cyborg almost crushed him as he tried to stop. They both made for the steps, when they stopped again. There was someone standing at the top of the stairs.

She was dressed in an old hospital gown, which came down to her dirty feet. She had black, greasy hair that fell down over her face, as if she were looking straight down. In her equally dirty hands, she held two things. First, an old doll. Second, Circuit's communicator!

"Please tell me you see that too…" Cyborg's voice took on a strained tone, one Nevid hadn't heard before. Before Nevid could answer, the girl screamed, loudly! The sound deafened both Titans, who covered their ears and fell to the ground under the blast of sound! When it ended, Nevid's ears were still ringing. He looked up the stairway, but the girl had vanished!

"Cyborg, you ok?" Nevid asked, slowly standing up.

"No, no I am not!" The big man rolled to his feet, engaged his sonic cannon, and stared wide-eyed at where the girl had been.

"I am not, and will not be ok! What was that?"

"Long story. Let's find Circuit." Nevid calmly walked up the stairs, without even un-holstering his sidearm. Cyborg stared in shock as he followed him.

"That didn't even faze you, did it? And what did you mean, it's a long story? You know that thing?"

"Look Cyborg, you're tower on that island was nice and safe. But out here, things happened. That girl, not thing, but _girl_, was once as real as you or I. She was pretty, smart, and had a sense of humor through everything she endured." They reached the top, and turned left to reach the control room Circuit had headed for.

"But one day she was caught. She was tortured, experimented on, and then left for dead. Not everyone knows she still around. Some people think she's a legend. Some people think she's a ghost. Only a few people know the truth." Nevid maintained a good pace as he walked, slowly getting angrier as he spoke.

"The truth is that Viktoriya Novich was an innocent girl that Slade himself experimented on." He stopped walking, hung his head, and wiped his face with his hand.

"And she was also my mother." Cyborg stopped dead in his tracks, and even his red eye seemed to grow wider.

"But… she didn't look like much more than a teenager!"

"She wasn't. She gave birth to me at eighteen, and died before she had her nineteenth birthday. That was over fifteen years ago." They kept walking, though Cyborg was now a little less disturbed the strange girl.

"She and my father were on the run. The Russian government had identified my mother as a 'gifted' individual. The fact that she didn't work for them made her a threat. The fact that my father loved her made him help her escape." They came to another staircase and a door that had been kicked down. Nevid hopped over it, while Cyborg broke it in half as he stepped on it.

"My father was the agent sent to kill her. He couldn't, wouldn't, kill an innocent girl, and so they ran together. Jump City wasn't their first choice of hiding spots, but it was a dark and forgotten city. It worked. No Russians ever came looking for my mother, but they didn't know that the real threat was already in Jump City."

"Slade found my mother soon after Terra's… rebirth? Resurrection? Whatever. My mother had a special ability; she could make people see things that weren't there. She was captured, tortured, and experimented on by Slade to try to copy, or at least enhance, her power. It didn't work. Slade dumped her body in the sewers." Cyborg looked like he was going to be sick, and wondered how Nevid could tell the story so calmly.

"Unfortunately, she wasn't dead yet. When my father found her, with me in tow, she still had enough life in her to drive my father mad. His mind just snapped under the torment of visions she sent him, thinking he was an enemy. He killed himself, right there in the sewers."

"After that, my mother recovered. Physically. Something Slade did to her somehow rejuvenated her body, but destroyed her mind. In reality, she wanders rooftops and streets, but in people's minds, she follows them wherever they go. We were both thinking about that communicator when we came around the corner. And so we saw it. She projects a certain amount of information; our brains fill in the rest. If you see her, keep walking. If she speaks to you, don't listen. She's insane. If I find her, I'll put her out of her misery. If I don't… She can't live forever." Cyborg was appalled. What had happened to his city? What had happened to this kid, who was somehow older and stronger than Cyborg would ever be?

They reached the office where Circuit was supposed to be, but found nothing. The chairs were overturned, the computers torn to pieces or gone, and the glass windows were shattered.

"Circuit?" Nevid yelled, kicking a chair aside. There was no response.

"This… illusion, thing, can it hurt people?" Cyborg asked, watching the door carefully.

"No. _You_ have to do that. It will convince you that your best friend is an enemy, or that your worst enemy is your friend. That thing we saw earlier was the teaser. The best is yet to come." Nevid pushed past Cyborg and walked back out into the corridor.

"Circuit!"

"Hello?" Cyborg whirled around, sonic cannon at the ready. Nevid grabbed the metallic arm and shoved up as hard as he could. The blast of sonic energy hit the wall above Circuit, and dissipated harmlessly. Cyborg was panting and sweating as he stepped back.

"Get your head out of your metallic can, Cyborg!" Nevid snarled at the man, standing between him and Circuit.

"But… that room was empty! How did he…?"

"Viktoriya hid him from us. She can do that. Get used to it." Nevid turned back to the very confused Circuit and filled him in.

"Her?"

"Yep."

"She angry?"

"Yep."

"We're not getting this place up and running, are we?"

"Nope." On the last note, Cyborg interrupted.

"Wait a minute, we have orders! We need this place up and running!"

"The malicious ghost of my somewhat dead mother is haunting the place. You can tell that to Dick when we get back. _If_ we get back." Circuit nodded wholeheartedly, standing very close to Nevid.

"The T car is parked out front; it isn't that far."

"Add three miles and a few heart attacks to that estimate. We _will_ get lost. We _will_ be scared. We _will _wish we'd never come here in the first place and sleep with the lights on for a week. Get that through your head right now." Nevid ordered. As he spoke, Cyborg whirled around.

"Hello?" He scanned the hallway with his shoulder light. Nevid shook his head.

"Any refugees in the area know the story, or at least are smart enough to leave when a ghost tells them to. We are completely alone here. No other living being is here! That's Viktoriya, Cyborg!" Nevid yelled, jerking the man back around. Cyborg was already getting unnerved.

"You feel that, Cy? You feel that fear in the back of your mind? You feel that foot on your own personal gas pedal, revving you up? That's Viktoriya! That's how she works! She's doing it! Now take a deep breath and calm down. Bring up the map of this place." Cyborg did as Nevid told him, shook his head to clear it, and flipped open a panel on his arm.

"Ok, we're here." Nevid pointed. "We have to, in this order, take one right, two lefts, and three rights. That's four staircases; two up, two down. Got it?" All three of them burned the map into their mind.

"Now repeat that back to me." Nevid demanded. Cyborg nodded and very calmly rattled it off.

"Take two rights, one left, and three rights. Four stair cases, three up, two down. Got it." Nevid shook his head and sighed.

"Ok, let's try this again. We aren't moving until we can all repeat that back, word for word. Got it?" Cyborg looked confused, until he brought up the map again.

"How… I wasn't even close! I have a near perfect memory with my implants!" Circuit laughed nervously.

"We're never getting out of here…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"Well, this is awkward…" Della said politely, slowly standing up. Three S soldiers looked at her in shock, their weapons still holstered. Eight more were working nearby, but stopped to look at the girl who'd fallen from the sky.

"To answer the obvious question, yes, it _did_ hurt when I fell from heaven." Della joked, brushing herself off. Then Starfire and Raven hit.

Two S Soldiers were decked just by the impact of the two women; they wouldn't be getting up any time soon. The third was fried by a fireball from Della. The three girls stood in a triangle, back to back, and watched as another six soldiers materialized from the rubble and junk cluttering the street. The other eight Della had first spotted drew their weapons.

"So do we say 'Titans Go', or is that Robin's thing?" Della asked, seemingly unconcerned.

"Just attack already!" Star snapped at Della, launched herself forward, and threw two star-bolts all in one breath. Raven pulled out her staff, and Della conjured up another fireball.

Starfire slammed into her first target with a sickening thud, and felt the man's bones snap under her. They flew _through_ a wooden crate, and she was blinded by dust for a split second. But the twin star-bolts she'd thrown were still on target, and knocked two men completely off their feet. Starfire wiped the dust out of her eyes, right as a man with brandishing the butt of an assault rifle ran straight at her! She ducked to the right, kicked the man in the stomach, and elbowed him in the neck. He went down, moaning, and Starfire kicked him in the ribs for good measure.

Raven saw two men in front of her, trying to draw their side-arms. They didn't get the chance. Raven ran at them with her staff at chest level, catching both men in the collarbone as she impacted. She twirled it around, cracked the first one over the head, and brought the weapon over her head to catch the other man in the forehead. Three more charged at her; she jammed the butt of her staff into one man's jaw, then another man's foot, and then used the staff as a pole to vault over their heads! She kicked the last man in the back of the knee, pressed the staff against the front of his neck, and pulled him off of his feet.

"Is that all you got?" Della alone had been shot at, as she wasn't quite as fast as her friends. She was hiding behind one of the trucks carrying the scrap metal, while eight men slowly advanced towards her, guns firing. Della concentrated, and the crystal slowly started to levitate. Her hands caught fire, and her eyes glowed red.

"My turn!" She shot a stream of flames _under_ the truck, catching half of the men in the legs! They fell to the ground screaming. Della calmly walked around the truck, and waved her hands in front of her. A wall of reddish purple fire erupted, melting the bullets whizzing towards her! Molten lead dripped down to the pavement, and Della kept walking.

"What's the matter? Can't stand the heat?" Della urged the wave of flames forward, and it caught the last four soldiers head on! They didn't even have a chance to scream. They just melted away into ash and steam.

"Della! Enough!" She heard Raven's voice, but didn't care. There was one last truck load of soldiers, now running for their lives, and Della wanted them. She pointed both her hands forward, and twin streams of fire shot towards the truck! The canvas back lit up in flames, and then the tires. Two men in the cab fell out of the truck and ran off, but the flames seemed to follow them, as if alive in their own right! The six in the back of the truck didn't get the chance to run. Hotter and hotter, Della poured more flames onto the truck.

"Della!" Raven spun the girl around, snatching the necklace in her hand. Della jumped as if slapped, and the fires were extinguished. Unfortunately, the gas tank ruptured a second before Raven reached her. Starfire lifted up a huge slab of metal and shielded the trio, right as the blast wave hit. Starfire strained and grunted with effort as the wave hit; it was all she could do to hold it! After a second, the wave died. Starfire let the sheet of metal drop to the ground, and surveyed the damage beyond. The truck was gone. It had just ceased to exist.

"Della, are you out of your mind?" Raven shook the girl by the shoulders, looking furious.

"No. I was in control!" Della squirmed her way out of the woman's grasp, pointing at the spot where the truck had been.

"They were getting away!"

"So? Let them get away! You just killed eight people for nothing!" Starfire watched as Raven ripped into the girl, but said nothing.

"For nothing? Those were the enemy! The _enemy_, Raven! If we'd let them go, they would have killed more of _my_ people!" Della shot back. Starfire raised an eyebrow, while Raven fumed.

"Excuse me?"

"That's right. I said it. These are _my_ people. You're a demon-angel hybrid. You weren't even born on Earth! She's an alien! This is _my_ world, this is _my_ city, and I will do whatever I have to in the defense _my_ people! You all sat in your tower and watched this city burn. I fought the flames. Don't you dare lecture me on fighting this war." Della walked past Raven, rudely bumping her in the shoulder as she did so. Raven looked like she'd been slapped.

"I like you people helping us. It's nice. But get one thing straight." Della was talking as she lit the second truck's tank on fire, but this time, she set up a wall of her own flames. The explosion didn't have the power to burn through Della's fire.

"This is _our_ war. And we will fight it, with or without you." Della let the flames fade, and looked around the carnage. Twenty four bodies lay in the street; some were dead, others wished they were. Della caught Raven's stare and went off again.

"What do you see here, Raven? Poor, innocent civilians? Mentally ill villains that need a jail cell and a therapist? These people aren't freaks in masks, they were misunderstood retards, they're soldiers! They _wanted_ this! They _like_ killing! You think they were holding back when they burned my family's store? When they lined my parents and uncles and aunts up against a brick wall?" Della was crying now, but her voice was still steely.

"When my father looked them in the eye, and they shot him in the head? These men are _monsters_! And I will slaughter them like monsters!" Della had somehow maintained complete control as she spoke. The necklace still rested against her shirt, her hands were still normal. Raven withered under the girls stare.

"So you'd become what you hate for the sake of revenge?" Raven asked softly. But Della was prepared for that question.

"Yes." Neither one of the women were prepared for that simple answer.

"Yes I am prepared to become a monster. In case you haven't noticed, this is a city full of monsters. But I have hope that some day Slade, Terra, and everyone associated with them will be dead and buried. Or at least, cremated…" She smirked at the piles of ash. "And then I will see my children, and grandchildren, and apologize for being the monster I am. I have no problem with that scenario." The last remnants of the truck were slowly burning themselves out, and the injured men were wisely staying on the ground.

"We should get back to the Tower. Nevid and the rest will probably be back by now." Starfire suggested, stepping closer to Della. She was easily strong enough to carry the girl by herself, and Raven didn't leap at the chance to carry her back herself.

As they flew, Starfire was completely silent. "Do you disagree?" Della finally asked, not able to bear the awkward silence any more.

"No. That's what scares me."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"This is by far the creepiest place I have ever been." Cyborg was nervously chatting with Circuit while Nevid led the way. They constantly saw apparitions now. Darting figures behind doorways, shadows in windows, screams from hallways… It was disconcerting to everyone but Nevid. He alone seemed immune to them.

"I mean, Raven once turned the Tower into a house of horrors and made a monster to kidnap us all one by one, without even consciously knowing she'd done it, and _that_ wasn't as bad as this…" He whirled around at the sound of yet another voice, and even Nevid stopped this time.

"Help me…"

"Man that's getting creepy!"

"That wasn't her." Nevid said stonily, turning to face the direction the voice had come from. Circuit brushed his hair back out of his eyes and swallowed hard.

"And you know this how…?"

"Patterns. The next sound from Viktoriya will be from there." Nevid nodded at a crate to their left, and sure enough, it shuddered and moaned.

"And that didn't fit the pattern?" Circuit asked.

"No." As simply as that, Nevid turned off of their memorized course and followed the sound down a dark corridor. They were in the deep bowels of the plant now; a wrong turn could lead them into a vat of lava! At least that's what Circuit was thinking. He had no idea how the place worked; he'd pretty much just pressed buttons and hoped for the best back in the control room. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his S soldier uniform. _How is Nevid doing this?_ He wondered to himself. His own mother was hunting them down and trying to drive them insane and he was just treating it like another day in the office.

"Here." Nevid stopped abruptly and pointed into a dark room. The sign on the open door said 'Maintenance'. Cyborg scanned the room with his eye, peeking around the corner to get a good angle. A mop head flew out of the dark and hit him in the face!

"Whoa! Whoa, what was that?" He stumbled back to the wall, ripping the dusty mop off of his face. Nevid just smiled.

"Well, it _wasn't_ my mother." He stepped into the room, slowly, and put a big smile on his face.

"Come on out, we're not going to hurt you!" He held out his hand, and something moved in the dark.

"You're not one of _them_?" An incredibly small and timid voice came from no where, and made Cyborg jump. Circuit snickered, and got a metal palm to the gut in response.

"No, we're not one of them. We're trying to get of here, just like you. Do you want come with us?" His hand was still out, and ever so slowly, a small hand reached to take it. Nevid gently pulled the hand forward, and a small girl stepped into the relative light of the hallway.

She was small, short, and covered from head to toe in dust. She had a long brown hair that fell down to her waist that was hopelessly tangled and matted. Her face was streaked was tears, and her dress looked threadbare. Cyborg was a little less on edge when he saw the girl; he'd been expecting something far more sinister.

"I'm Nevidimyy; but my friends call me Nevid. What's your name?" The voice Nevid used to speak to the girl was one Circuit had never heard before. He wondered if this was the first time Nevid had ever dealt with a small child. Circuit had never seen a kid younger than twelve!

"I'm Lisa. My mom is here somewhere; I shouldn't go without asking her first." Nevid turned to Cyborg and shook his head very subtly.

"That's alright; we'll go find her." Nevid picked the girl up and held her on one arm; she was so light he could have carried her with one hand easily enough. Cyborg led the way, and they started back on the path to the exit. Circuit shot Nevid a questioning look.

"If her mother was still here, we would have seen her by now." Nevid whispered back.

"You think she's…?" Circuit asked, not daring to say the word.

"Or worse. Lisa will just have to come with us."

"So the plant is a no go?" Dick asked as they all stood in the Tower's living room. Cyborg shook his head.

"We've have an easier time building one from scratch. I'm sorry Robin," Dick cringed as his friend used the old name. "But that's a job for the Army. No way are we going to get that thing online anytime soon." Dick nodded, resting his chin on his hands. He looked past the big man to see Della and Nevid playing with Lisa in the corner, trying to keep the girl's mind off of her missing mother.

"What about the group of soldiers gathering salvage on the beach?"

"They were eliminated with extreme prejudice." Starfire answered, staring at the girl as well. "Della is very talented when it comes to the destruction of her enemies."

"Find anything we could use?" Dick asked hopefully, glancing at the still dilapidated computers and furniture.

"Not unless we need charcoal or burnt scrap metal." Starfire folded her arms, shaking her head as she spoke.

"That girl is…" She paused, as if searching for the right word. Raven found it for her.

"Barely under control. The battle, if you could call it that, lasted no more than five minutes with close to twenty dead. Plus the two trucks. She's dangerous, Dick, and she only cares about killing S soldiers. I wonder what will happen when she runs out of enemies to slaughter."

"She'll adjust, just as we have." Starfire said forcefully. They all smiled as Lisa launched herself off of the countertop, and onto Nevid's back. The teenager feigned injury, and fell to the ground as the laughing girl squealed.

"Did you know that Nevid's mom was only eighteen when he was born?" Cyborg suddenly said. "The woman was fleeing from her country when she was found by Slade. Nevid never really knew her before she was taken away from him." They all stood in silence, trying to imagine the boy's past.

"My sister had a child that would be about their age." Starfire added, folding her arms over her purple armor.

"Blackfire? Blackfire had a child?" Dick asked, taken aback at the thought. Starfire nodded.

"I never knew who the father was. Blackfire returned home to Tamaran to give birth, but executed shortly after. Her crimes were inexcusable, even with her newborn child in her arms. The child was sent to the father's home-world, wherever that is. That was almost…" Starfire counted the years, frowning as she did so. "Sixteen years ago. I heard the news not long after we defeated the League of Evil."

"All these kids, trying to survive in a city like this…" Dick mused, watching the three teens try to cheer up the new child they'd rescued. "How can we ask them to fight a war?"

"We didn't ask." Raven reminded him. "They asked _us._ And how old were you when Bruce Wayne made you an offer? How old were you when the Gordanians bought you from your sister? How old were any of us when we were thrust into this life? War has a way of aging you prematurely. I wouldn't refer to any of those people as children."

"No. But the day we assume they're invincible is the day we'll lose them forever. We have to remember that they're still young, if not children. They still have weaknesses. They still need our help." Dick told her, his eyes going misty as he spoke.

"Weaknesses…" Cyborg snorted, shaking his head.

"I just spent three hours moving through an abandoned power plant being haunted by that kid's ghost of a mother." He turned to face the rest of his friends.

"There isn't an ounce of weakness in his body. I doubt there ever was."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"I'm going to take Lisa down to the Army base on the north side of town. I'm going to take Della with me." The way Nevid said it left little doubt in anyone's mind that this was a 'so you know' statement, rather than a request.

"While we're there, I'm going to get in touch with the commander and let her know that there's organized resistance inside the city. I know Commander Strong well; she'll be able to get Lisa to a good home and maybe send some help our way. The next time we tackle an S Soldier unit, we may have air support." Dick narrowed his eyes as Nevid spoke, but said nothing. The little girl in question was asleep on the couch, while the rest of them were eating lunch. They didn't have much food, but they had enough, and Nevid's comment about 'flying to another city' hadn't been an idle one. Cyborg really did have a company that sold a decent amount of non-perishable food to the Titans every month in exchange for computer repair.

"Alright. But try to hurry back. Terra has to know that we're back in business, and she'll come knocking on our door sooner or later. I want to be at full strength when that happens." Dick said in a level tone. There was no doubt that the two still didn't see eye to eye, but they were working together. Being on the same side helped, but not by much.

"So I'm going too, huh? Anxious for some time alone with the only hot girl here?" Della asked, her expression more mischievous than malicious. Nevid sighed, frowned, and thought hard before responding. Thankfully, he didn't have to.

"Excuse me? I'm sitting right here!" Starfire shot back, slapping the girl's arm. Della smiled aggravatingly.

"Oh, I know. Not sure why you're still here though; this _is_ the 'cool' table, after all." Starfire narrowed her eyes, but kept her thin smile.

"The 'cool' table? What are you, thirteen?"

"What are you, fifty?" At this point, Circuit, Cyborg and Nevid all stood back and watched from a safe distance, while Raven smiled kept eating like nothing was happening.

"_Fifty?_" Starfire screeched.

"Star…" Dick asked weakly, already cringing.

"_Fifty?_" She stood up from the table and stared wide-eyed at Della, who still didn't seem to understand the danger she was in. Even Raven was looking concerned.

"Oh don't yell, ma'am, I'm sure we can solve this like ladies." Starfire twitched at the word 'ma'am'.

"I understand it perfectly. You're the old, unattractive motherly figure, while I'm the new, cute girl of team!"

"Lisa it's time to wake up. Della it's time to go." Nevid scooped up the sleeping girl in his arms, and half pulled half dragged Della away. Starfire was still fuming at the table, watching them go.

"I could insult you in three different languages!" Starfire threatened.

"How very wise and mature of you to know all of that!" Della shot back. Nevid put on a little more speed and dragged Della around a corner. There was silence in the room for a minute afterwards.

"Star, you know she was messing with you…" Dick meekly rolled his wheelchair over to his friend, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I am not old."

"No you are not."

"I am not ugly."

"You're not fat either!" Cyborg added, chiming in from the other side of the room.

"Fat? _Fat_? Did you just use the 'f' word?" Dick looked like a puppy that had just been kicked out in the rain, and Cyborg tried very hard to hide behind Circuit. Raven just laughed and laughed…

"You know you're insane, right? Magic gem or not, that woman could eat you alive and throw up what was left onto a silver platter." Nevid was still carrying Lisa, who had miraculously remained asleep during the argument. They were in the T car, which Nevid had stolen the keys to, and Della was sitting in the passenger seat, looking pleased as all get out.

"I can't help it; she walks around in that skin tight metal cat-suit! She looks like a hooker! And I know you all stare at her!" Della accused, taking Lisa from Nevid as he started the car.

"No, Della, we don't…"

"Sure. The woman is thirty years old; has curves like a super model, and wears skin tight clothing. And you don't look at her like that!" The last sentence Della managed to say with incredibly sarcasm. Nevid sighed, again, and kept driving. It was the first time he'd ever driven anything he didn't want to ram into something else, so he was trying to be careful with it. Della going off in his ear didn't help.

"I mean look at her! You'd have to be a weirdo _not_ to look at her!"

"Della, you being jealous for no reason."

"Am I? Look me in the eye and tell me that woman's not attractive." As she spoke, she reached over the center console, turned off the car, and snatched the keys away. Nevid jumped and hastily pulled over.

"Are you crazy? This is not a good neighborhood!"

"Say it!" Nevid tried to grab the keys. Della infuriatingly held them just out of Nevid's reach.

"Say it!"

"Fine Della! Starfire is hot! She is very attractive, and I am very attracted to her! I fantasize about her _all day long_, and you are butt-ugly in comparison!" Nevid exploded, and finally woke up Lisa.

"Who's the angry man outside?" Both teenagers turned to look out the windshield.

"Della give me the keys."

"I dropped them between the seat and the door."

"Della give me the keys."

"I'm trying!" Lisa started to cry, and Della put her in the back seat.

"We're going to be fine! It's alright!" Della said soothingly, stroking the girl's hair. She'd tossed the keys to Nevid a second before that, and he anxiously revved the engine. The 'angry man' was an S soldier, and a high ranking on at that. He was huge; at least six five and two hundred pounds. Maybe six ounces of that fat. He grinned cruelly at them, and put his hand on the hood.

"Hey kids! Where're you going?"

"Straight to hell to see your family!" Nevid floored the accelerator, and the car leapt back. He slammed it in gear and streaked past the man, who was still smiling. When they came to the next intersection, Nevid saw why.

"Oh my gosh…" Della stared wide-eyed at the _tank_ that had pulled up in front of them.

"Get in the back and hold Lisa." Nevid ordered, slowing to a stop. Della hopped over the seat and put Lisa on her lap. The black leather seats were covered in dust, which coated the two girls.

"Nevid?"

"I know." The tank's turret turned to face them, and four men swarmed out of the top.

"Nevid?"

"I know!" He put the car in gear and raced past the front of the tank, right as it fired! The cracked asphalt exploded behind them as the shell came within inches of blowing them away!

"Hold on!" The steely-gray paint on the tank flashed past the window as Nevid drove past. The four S soldiers were soon left behind, but not by much.

"They've got motorcycles!" Della screamed, looking scared out of her mind. Lisa bawled and cried on her lap, clearly aware that something was wrong.

"Well then, this should be interesting…" Nevid wove his way through sign posts, traffic lights, and mailboxes on the sidewalk, just barely missing each shell as it flew out of the tank's smoking muzzle. Old newspapers flew up and past the car as it tore through the quiet streets. Well, formerly quiet…

"Three bikes, on your right!" Nevid wrenched the wheel right, and knocked one rider down and out against the steel of the car's door. Two more were still close, and now shooting at the windows!

"Get down!" Nevid jerked left again a split second later, and the next shell went right where he wanted it. The two bikes were thrown into the air as the explosion tore through the asphalt!

"Two more on your left!" Della shouted, holding Lisa down on the seat as she looked over the shattered glass. Nevid opened his door and slammed on his brakes. One of the bikes crunched against the reinforced door, while the other wisely stayed away. The next shot from the tank hit the asphalt just in front of them. Nevid put the car in reverse, whirled out onto the street, and then drove into an alley. Trash cans bounced off the hood, while the driver side door was slammed shut against the brick wall of a building.

"Think Cyborg will notice that?" Nevid asked with a laugh. The door was hanging onto the car's frame by a thread; sparks flew off of it as the bricks ground the mirror to pieces!

"He might…" Della just barely be heard over the gunned engine, the screeching metal, and the sound of the trash cans bouncing off of the hood.

"Two more turns and we're on another road. Think we lost them?" Nevid asked, looking back at the rearview mirror.

"I don't see them any more."

"Good." He sounded honestly relieved, and Della snuck back into the passenger seat. Lisa still clung to her, and sat on her lap as Della put the seatbelt back on.

"I've never heard you cuss before." Della stated simply, her earlier attitude gone. Nevid cracked a half smile.

"I wasn't technically cussing. I believe Hell is a real place; I was merely giving directions." Della smiled back and shook her head.

"Do you have an answer for everything?"

"No."

"Which in itself is an answer."

"Where are we going?" Lisa timidly asked, staring first at Della and then Nevid.

"We're leaving the city. That way those bad people can't chase you any more." Nevid told her, his voice suddenly many degrees softer.

"Will my mom be there?" Della swallowed hard and grimaced, not sure of what to say. Nevid rescued her.

"I don't know Lisa." He drove on for a minute, but kept talking.

"Sometimes people who love us have to leave. We don't always understand why, but that's has to happen. But I know this. Wherever your parents are, they love you very much, and they're always thinking about you. My mom left too. I don't know if I'll see her again." Nevid told her, taking his eyes off the road for a split second.

"But as long as we're safe, as long as we're ok, there's a chance. And that's better than nothing. So we're going to take you to the army base in the mountains. They have warm beds and hot baths and nice things to eat instead of that oatmeal you don't like." Lisa hadn't been fond of the instant oatmeal they'd had for breakfast.

"Will there be oranges? I like oranges!"

"Maybe! I think we can find some oranges." Nevid smiled at the girl, who beamed back up at him. He turned his attention back to the road, but noticed Della crying beside him.

"What's the matter?" He asked, completely confused.

"Nothing. Just… I didn't know you had that in you."

"Not everything is about looks, Della. I really couldn't care less what Star looks like. You're the one I want in the car when we're being chased by a tank."

"You know that Della was just trying to push your buttons, right?" Dick asked the girl as they walked and rolled down a lonely corridor. Starfire snorted, and then smiled.

"Yes, I know."

"I don't think you're that ugly."

"I should hope not!" She kept walking, but then stopped as it sunk in.

"_That_ ugly?"

"Starfire it was just a joke!" Dick laughed, and the sound seemed to surprise them both.

"It's… been a while since I laughed." He admitted slowly, deep in thought.

"These kids seem to have brought more than just combat experience to our home." Ever so slowly, Starfire was reverting back to her old way of speaking.

"I know." There was silence for a moment, but then Dick locked his chair's brakes, and leaned heavily on the armrest.

"Robin! What are you doing?" Starfire jumped to catch him, and put his arm around her neck to prevent him from falling. He grimaced in pain for a minute, but steadied himself against the wall.

"I needed to stand up to do this." He put his hand on her cheek, and kissed her. They both just stood there for a moment, not moving, and not making any sound whatsoever.

"I'm sorry I haven't done that in a while." Dick apologized, still leaning on the woman. Starfire scooped him up in her arms and hovered above the ground.

"Don't be. Just promise not to go so long again."

Circuit and Cyborg watched from the end of the hall, but ran off as they heard Star approach. She took another turn, and left the two standing in the dark hallway, holding their breaths.

"That was close…" Circuit panted.

"Yeah it was." Cyborg peeked around a corner, but the two had disappeared.

"Where'd do think they're going?" Circuit asked, looking around the big man's shoulder.

"Dude, do you really need to ask that? Come on. Let's go play some video games or something. I bet I can kick your butt at Super Robot Monkey Brawl!"

"What? That game is so old! I could beat you in a heartbeat!"

"Yeah right! Come on shorty, you can barely reach the joystick!"

The two sniped at each other all the way down the hall, and into the living room. Starfire and Robin spent the night on the roof, talking and talking like it was fifteen years ago and they were still excited teenagers. And yet, there was something unusual in the wind. One of the stars fell that night. And it fell right into Jump City.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. I'll give you a can of peaches to go touch it!"

"Two!"

"Deal!"

"Wait, what is that?"

"I don't… Run!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"Cy?"

"What is it little C?"

"Where'd Raven go?"

"Her room, no doubt."

"Does she ever just stand behind you and stare at you uncomfortably?"

"Nah, she prefers to either read or spar in the gym. Why?"

"Because there're two people on this couch, and three shadows on the wall." Cyborg looked up from the TV screen, and noticed the third shadow Circuit had mentioned. He quickly looked back down at the screen.

"Hmm. This is going to get messy." Cyborg let the controller drop to the floor as his hand converted to his sonic cannon. Circuit set his game controller down too; flinching when they're near perfect game was ruined. The third shadow twitched.

"Oh come on now, don't get nervous on us. The fun's just started!" Circuit rolled forward, Cyborg put a hand under the couch, and they both whirled around as Cyborg tossed the couch up into the air and straight at the S soldier! He had time to gasp before the sonic blast hit him, and then moan as the couch fell.

"Awesome! We couldn't have done that better if we practiced!" Circuit yelled, slapping Cyborg on the back. Cyborg blew the top of his cannon's muzzle, as if clearing the smoke, and looked down at Circuit disdainfully.

"We?"

"Oh, uh, I mean, I helped!" He shot back. They would have carried the discussion on, but three more bodies _flew_ down the stairs, and a very angry Raven stood at the top.

"Are you two just going to stand there and hold hands or are you going to fight?" Raven spun her staff around and caught a fourth man in the jaw as he ran at her. Circuit snorted, cracked his knuckles, and flicked his hair out of his eyes.

"Don't worry hot stuff; I got this!" The short teen ran towards the door, clapped his hands together, and fried the next soldier entering the room! The light of the sparking electricity lit up the room, and provided an almost strobe light effect. Two more men leapt out of the shadows. Cyborg had his cannon ready. One man was blown up and away by the force of the blast on his chest! The other was wrapped around Cyborg's neck. The man was under Cyborg's foot. The man's rib's crunched under a metal boot. Three more showed up…

"How do you like the light show?" Circuit shouted, shoving his one kill onto the ground. The man shuddered and shook, and perhaps messed his pants.

"Show off…" Raven slid down the banister, pole vaulted over the flipped couch, and landed gracefully on top of another attacker.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet…" Circuit twirled his fingers around, twisting a bolt of lightning like a string. When a man roared and flew at him with bronze knuckles in place, Circuit closed his fist, slammed it into the man's gut, spun around, and caught another man in the face with his electrified elbow! Another squad of three opened the door, guns leveled. Raven looked up, distracted at the sight of them. The reflection of light off of the three muzzles seemed to stun her, and she froze up as the men pulled their triggers! But nothing happened.

"Electronic firing pins. Retards…" Circuit had stepped on one man's boot, and since they were shoulder to shoulder, paralyzed all three! He kneed the middle man in the crotch, and they all shot apart as if blown up! None thought to stand up after they hit the ground.

"Thanks…" Raven said slowly, jamming her staff down on the man under her. Circuit did his best dark, mysterious smile, and nodded.

"Any time… hot stuff…"

"Uh, guys?" Cyborg had four men holding him down, and one of them had a rifle pointed at his face! Raven was too far away. Circuit had no way to hit them from a distance. Thankfully Starbolts travel fast.

"Get. Out. Of. My. House!" A blur of red and steel shot through an open doorway, and three of the four men were gone. The fourth man sunk to the ground, with a birdarang buried in his helmet.

"Easy there Star…" A handful of red balls were thrown around the room, and dozens of tiny explosions stunned the rest of the S soldiers in the room. Robin calmly wheeled over a hand, and stopped right against a crumpled soldier.

"No need to break anything when a flash in the pan will do." He smiled, for the first time in a long time, and looked around the living room.

"Well, this was fun. You guys really know how to have a party." All in all, there were close to two dozen men scattered around the dusty living room.

"I don't think that last thing is really a saying…" Circuit whispered to Raven. She elbowed him in the gut, hard.

"I don't know, _hot stuff_, what do you think?" He blushed heavily and looked the other way.

"I figured you wouldn't hear that over the action…"

"Are Della and Nevid back yet?" Dick asked, maneuvering around the piles of bodies.

"Everybody get down!" Eight more armed men in combat fatigues came tearing down the stairs, shining flashlights as each Titan in turn.

"Guys! There's a column of S soldiers heading this…" Nevid stopped as he saw the living room's floor. He looked disappointed.

"Ah dang. Stand down guys; they're with us…" Nevid kicked a limp arm and folded his arms.

"Didn't think to save any for us, did you?" Della asked, just now coming down the stairs. The eight men in uniform formed a tight circle, but lowered their weapons.

"We were busy. I had fun, anyway." Circuit explained, leaning against one wall.

"Who are these people?" Dick asked, shooting a dangerous look up at Nevid.

"This is the Advance Assault Team Commander Strong lent us. We saw the column of S soldiers and figured you guys might need help. I guess we were wrong…" Nevid looked again at some of the bodies, and got a sour look on his face when he saw some of them.

"Lisa is safe?" Starfire asked, sounding actually concerned for the girl. Della nodded.

"Safe and traveling out of the city with another group of refugees."

"If the situation is under control here…" One of the soldiers asked, looking over his shoulder at Nevid.

"Yeah. Tell Commander Strong that we appreciate the help, and if she ever needs anything…"

"We'll call. And if you don't mind, we'll take these men off your hands. The commander has wanted someone to interrogate for months now."

"Uh, sure, I don't think we need them for anything." The men gathered up the bodies and started carrying them up the stairs."

"Thanks for the helicopter ride!" Della shouted up after them. They didn't respond.

"They were hoping for a fire fight. To be honest, that's the most action they've seen in months." Nevid whispered, nodding over his shoulder. Starfire gathered up an armload of limp bodies.

"I take it you made contact with Mr. Strong?" Dick asked, folding his hands on the armrest of his chair.

"Commander, Strong, and she's actually a woman. I thought I'd mentioned that…" Nevid looked confused, but shook the thought.

"In any case; Lisa is safe and under Army protection, we got a ride back to the Tower in an Army chopper, and…" He stuttered on the last point in his list. Della finished it for him.

"We kind of totaled your car." Cyborg visibly twitched.

"You did what now?"

"Nevid took the keys while you weren't looking, forgot about this gear called 'drive', and did close to 150 in third gear." Cyborg's face drained, and he looked ready to pass out.

"Oh yeah, and the door got ripped off." Della rattled each item off like it was a minor detail. Cyborg sat down hard, and forgot the couch was still upside down. There was a crunch as it snapped in half. There were quiet sobs as the large man put his head in his hands.

"Commander Strong told me that she'd have her people restore it to it's original condition! She promised, it'll be ok!" Nevid put a hand on Cyborg's shoulder, looking ready to bolt.

"Next time…" Cyborg stood up, very slowly. "If you want the car…" He turned to look at Nevid, and they could almost hear the gears in his neck grind. "Just… ask. There's a whole garage full of spare ones I built just for fun. I don't give a robotic rat's butt if you total them!" On the last sentence, Cyborg had gone from dangerously quiet to incredibly loud. Nevid shrunk back, and Della shook her head.

"Told you we should have looked in the other room…" Della said in a snotty tone. Nevid flinched and stepped even farther back.

"Good to know." Cyborg stomped up the stairs, looking miserable.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think we'd run into a tank…" Cyborg stopped, and spoke without turning around.

"Tank?"

"Yeah, we outran it and like six bikes."

"In third gear?"

"Yeah, I forgot to…"

"That's awesome!" Cyborg was suddenly ecstatic. He raced down the stairs, grabbed Nevid by the shoulder, and dragged him towards the door.

"Come on. Tell me exactly what happened, how fast it happened, and how she handled!" Cyborg gushed, grinning wildly. They could all hear the big man babbling about 'his baby' until they hit the elevator and headed down. Dick turned to look at Della.

"He likes the car."

"I gathered that." She sat on the counter and looked around, catching Starfire's eye as the woman descended the stairs.

"All nineteen men are loaded into the now very full helicopters. They called for two more just to carry the bodies, both living and… no longer living." Starfire sat on the counter near Della, but still looked a little peeved over their earlier argument. Della wasn't looking ready for a fight; however, she was looking worried.

"Nineteen? Nineteen men?" Della asked.

"Yes. I counted them myself."

"That's… odd." Della twisted a strand of hair around her finger and shot a worried look at Circuit.

"Usually they come in sets of ten. Not all of them fight, but there's always ten. Sometimes a spotter will hang out in some good cover to radio back to wherever they're based how the attack went." Circuit told them, looking a little on edge himself.

"And there's something else. Did some of those guys look a little burnt to you?" Della asked. Starfire nodded.

"Yes, which confused me, as you weren't here during the battle."

"It wasn't me who fried them. It was a tank shell." Della stood up, now wringing her hands as she spoke.

"Those are the same ones who attack Nevid and me earlier today! And I know I didn't see their commander in that group. He was huge, thick shouldered, and had these gold bars on his uniform."

"Large and in charge, that's me!" They all jumped as another man spoke, but no one could tell from where!

"Where's that coming from?" Circuit demanded, whirling around as if the voice was behind him.

"Oh, maybe here, maybe there…." The voice mused. It was deep and cruel sounding; Della especially was unnerved. She took a step closer to Starfire, who had twin starbolts already charged in her hands.

"Or maybe just somewhere in the Tower, using our com system…" Raven snapped, imitating the man's voice.

"Or maybe somewhere dangerous with Cyborg and the small one, what's his name…" There was a muffled shout over the speakers embedded in the ceiling.

"Ah yes, mrmfmmr. That was it." The man mocked Nevid over the speakers, and laughed loudly.

"I wonder if steel floats; shall we do an experiment? I'll start throwing Titans into the ocean, and you see how long it takes them to drown!" Starfire flew up the stairs, but was stopped by a metal blast door!

"Ah yes, and in case you get any ideas, I've put the Tower on lock-down. Please, turn your attention to the glass behind you. The show is about to start…"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"The doors are sealed!" Circuit grunted, throwing his weight against the heavy steel wall in front of him.

"Move!" Starfire slammed into the door at full speed, and dug her fingers into the crack between it and the wall. She groaned as she threw _her_ weight behind it. The door remained sealed.

"Don't bother; Cyborg made those to hold a Titan. There's no way any of us could budge that." Dick was sitting in front of the huge glass window, staring out at the ocean.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Raven demanded, tucking away her staff.

"I said Cyborg designed it to hold a Titan. But he didn't know you three when he made them." Dick turned to Della. "This glass is thick enough that Star can't break through it, and I can't cut it. And Raven isn't strong enough to do anything to it." The comment made Raven stiffen up, but she said nothing.

"Why on Earth would you put plate glass that thick on your windows?" Della demanded, joining Dick by the window.

"Because a man made of ink once flew through it. Long story." Dick explained, looking disturbed at the thought of it. "But this is still glass! And glass melts." Dick tapped the pane with his knuckles.

"Think you can do it?" Della glared at the glass and raised her hand. The gem, and her palm, both started to glow.

"Give me two minutes."

"We may have another way out." Circuit added, still standing near the door behind them.

"I once hacked into a bank vault and rolled naked in two million dollars." Everyone in the room turned to look at him. He blushed and looked away. "It was my birthday and I wanted to have fun! Don't judge me! In any case, I hacked my way through the toughest firewall in the old city. I'm pretty sure I can override a lockdown." He popped a computer panel out of he wall and started fiddling with the wires. Dick raised an eyebrow.

"You really want to try and hack Cyborg's computer? I think I'd rather try and run a marathon." He laughed at his own joke and looked meekly down at his shriveled legs.

"Never mind. Do what you can."

Circuit hadn't waited for the order; he was already pulling out wires and shoving his arm into the cavity in the wall.

"This place is a mess! Why on earth did he put that there…?" Circuit mumbled to himself. Raven knelt down beside him and looked at the growing pile of circuitry.

"We made some modifications to this place a few years ago. Thus the staircase over the kitchen…" Raven commented dryly, looking over at the offending steps.

"Why?" Circuit grunted, reaching for a wire just out of his reach. Raven punched through the wall, and grabbed the wire for him.

"Things broke. We fixed them." Circuit gingerly took the green wire out of her hand, and plugged it into the motherboard of the panel he was working on.

"Must be rough. Seeing your home destroyed like this…" Circuit said gently, looking around at the dusty ruins of the living room. Raven sighed, and nodded.

"I grew up in Azarath. But this place is where I spent most of my life. I lived here. I died here, and I was brought back here. And I watched too many friends die here…" Raven grew quiet, and Circuit didn't press her.

"I watched my family die too. Nevid once told me how to get past it." Raven looked up at the morose teenager.

"Don't forget the past. But don't sacrifice the future for the sake of remembering it."

"Nevid sounds like a smart kid."

"If he wasn't, I wouldn't be here to hack this door!" The last three words Circuit shouted, as the door slowly slid open!

"The window's open too!" Della countered, gesturing at the gigantic hole. Melted glass dripped down onto the carpet, and stained the glass below the hole.

"Alright, two teams then. Raven, Star, take Della and fly up to the roof. Circuit and I will head through the hallways." Starfire grabbed Della and shot through the hole, while Raven floated a little slower behind them. Before she went, she nodded at Circuit. In a second, she was gone.

"Don't get any ideas, friend. She's twice your age." Dick said with a wry grin. He wheeled himself down and headed for the open door.

"Where are we going?" Circuit asked, not commenting on Dick's observation.

"The basement."

"Why…?"

"Because it's windy outside." Dick said conversationally. Circuit looked more confused than ever.

"Did you hear wind when the man spoke over the com system?" It finally clicked in Circuit's mind.

"The only access points in the tower to set off a lockdown are in the room we just left and the basement. If he locked down the tower, he'll be down here."

"Then why did you send the girls to the roof?" Circuit asked accusingly.

"Because there's a chance I'm wrong."

Nevid looked again at the man who had so easily captured them. It was the same face that had stared at him from the outside of the T car. Now he was but uglier; he'd gotten a new scar somewhere in the fight.

"You realize that our friends are not that dumb. They know where we are." Cyborg snarled. Their captor hadn't been brave enough to try and gag the man with a steel jaw. Cyborg was allowed to talk.

"Sure they do. That's why they are flying to the roof as we speak! Imagine their surprise when they find _my_ surprise…" He laughed a deeply and shook his head. He had dreadlocks that came down to his shoulders, and scarred, rough black skin that seemed ready to peel off. Nevid wanted to throw up just looking at the man.

"If they're hurt I swear I'll…"

"Now now, don't get testy!" The man cut off Cyborg with a wicked grin.

"Soon it'll be just you and me! It won't do to be angry with each other!" He turned back to the pipe he'd been unscrewing, and left the two alone in their misery. Cyborg tried again to break the chains pinning him down. They wouldn't budge. Nevid watched him strain, and then blinked rapidly to get his attention. Cyborg panted and looked Nevid's way. The teen shot another look at their captor, and then rolled out of his kneeling position, and landed right in front of Cyborg! He concentrated, and both Titans were wrapped in invisibility. Cyborg couldn't see the change however, and whispered in Nevid's ear.

"What are you doing?" Nevid couldn't respond, but shoved his tied up hands in the big man's face. Nevid had only been given rope, as apparently he wasn't as big a threat. Oh how wrong that was…

"Oh, I gotcha. Cool trick!" Cyborg whispered. His hands were in front of him, thankfully, and he quickly untied the boy. At the same time, their captor had heard Cyborg's whisper.

"What was that?" He turned around, and almost fell over.

"What?" He screamed in frustration, and searched desperately in the dark gloom of the Tower's underbelly. While he was searching, Nevid stood up.

"Time for some payback…" Nevid growled.

"You going to get me out first?" Cyborg asked, gesturing at his chains.

"How? I don't have anything that could cut through that! I'll go kick his butt and take the key. Five minutes tops."

"What? No! Nevid get back here!" But Nevid was already gone. Even when still visible, Nevid was a master of camouflage. He moved through the dusty pipes and wires like a tiger through grass. Cyborg fumed, still struggling against his chains. He wanted to scream at the kid for leaving him, but didn't want to give away the boy's cover. Or draw attention to the fact that he was still chained up. He glared out into the dark, and tried to make out Nevid's silhouette. All he saw was the huge man who'd captured him. And then the wrench flew out of thin air, catching the first shadow in the face!

"What?" Starfire set Della down, and then touched down herself. The roof was empty.

"But he said…?" Della started to quote back the man's words, but Raven stopped her.

"He lied. This is a trap!" No sooner had she said than it was confirmed. Explosions rocked the roof! Starfire reached for Della's hand as she lifted off, but one of the bombs was right under the two girls! Della was knocked back, and off of the roof!

"Della!" Starfire screamed, and then shot towards the falling girl. Della was almost unconscious from the blast, but remained awake enough to realize what was happening. She couldn't do anything, however. The steel-gray water below was only coming faster and faster. She blinked through the ash and smoke, and saw Starfire shoot towards her. She could see the look of fear in the woman's eyes.

_ So is this it? Is this how I die?_ She blinked again. The flying woman wasn't getting any closer. The water was.

_Well this sucks. I never even got to make out with Nevidimyy…_ She gave out to unconsciousness, and went limp in the air.

_I have to save her!_ Starfire thought, flying as fast as she could towards the falling girl. _I have to save her! I won't let another friend die!_ She put on even more speed. The water was almost on Della now. Another foot and it wouldn't matter. Starfire imagined bringing the broken body to her friends. Watching Circuit weep and Nevid stare. She could already see the glassy look in his deep brown eyes.

But thankfully, she wouldn't have to. Because the waves didn't want this victim. In fact, they seemed to shrink at the thought of touching her. But the dark man standing on the rocky bottom didn't flinch. He caught her in his arms easily, and then let the waves fall over them both. The last thing Starfire saw was the pair of sharp blue eyes staring up at her. And that smile that enchanted her so long ago…

"How do like me now, creep?" Nevid demanded, jumping behind the man as he swung. The wrench had done damage, but not enough.

"I will like you better when I can squeeze the life from your body!" His huge arms swung over Nevid again, and he had to duck to avoid them. But the big man couldn't hit what he couldn't see.

"Tell me, what's it like?" Nevid asked, kicking him in the back of the knee. His enemy sunk to the ground with a gasp, and glared out into the darkness.

"To be an S soldier, I mean. Does it pay well? Are there benefits?" Nevid jumped up and slammed his fist down, punching the man with all of his weight. He quickly rolled out of the way as the man swung at him again. He spit out a mouthful of blood before answering.

"I am called the Plague! I rule over twenty men, and I slaughter those who imprisoned me! I am death incarnate!" He shouted. Nevid wasn't impressed.

"Really? They call me Nevidimyy. It's Russian for 'invisible'. Not very creative, but I like it." Nevid lashed out and kicked Plague in the side, winding him and severely ticking him off.

"Stop hiding in the shadows and face me, rat!"

"Alright then, if you want to see me…" Nevid appeared in the gloom, leaning against a huge cast iron pipe. He was picking his nails, as if completely unconcerned with the huge S soldier attacking him.

"Then see me!" Plague roared and charged forward, but as he got within a foot of the teen, Nevid disappeared. Plague hit the pipe head on, and groaned as the wave of pain hit him.

"Uh oh, not fast enough…" Nevid taunted from the shadows.

"So go on, what else are the perks of being an S soldier?" Nevid was almost conversational now.

"My family was slaughtered while I rotted in prison! They were thrown in paupers graves while I begged to see them one last time! Now, Slade has given me a new life! A new purpose!"

"Really? Slade? You do know he's dead, right? Terra's running the show now."

"Lies! My master lives!" Plague looked up at the ceiling, trying to pinpoint Nevid's voice. The boy was definitely above him…

"Sure he does. That's why Terra gives you all of your orders, you never see Slade, and he never moves. Of course he's alive!" Nevid laughed, and the sound echoed around the room.

"Seriously. I know crazy. And Terra is crazy. Let me guess; she says things like… 'Slade commands this!' and 'Slade commands that!' and never thinks for herself? Or at least never claims anything?" Nevid asked. He hopped down from the pipe he had been sitting on and brushed up against Plague. He whirled around at the touch of Nevid's uniform, but grasped only air in his fingers.

"When's the last time Terra said something like, 'I don't know why this happened, but I think we should do this.'? I'm thinking never! That's not how these people think, is it, Mr. Flu?" Nevid laughed again.

"See what I did there? Plague, flu? Oh I crack myself up sometimes…" Nevid ran up and did a field goal kick right into the man's groin! Plague sank to the ground, his face turning red.

"Oh don't get all red in the face, it wasn't _that_ funny!" Nevid cruelly joked. He leaned against another pipe.

"So you want purpose. Fulfillment. A second chance at life. Why on earth would you become a killer and hang out with a bunch of rejects? I'd fly solo if I was you. You know, go where you want to go, do what you want to do…" Plague stood up again, and snarled at where he thought Nevid was.

"You made a mistake, little boy."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"You stepped in water." Nevid looked down at his shoes, and more importantly, at the trail of footprints he'd left. The trail that ended where he stood. He had time to look up and see the wall of flesh coming before it hit, and braced for the impact.

"Oh, not so tough now, are you?" Plague demanded, holding Nevid by the throat. Nevid gasped and tried to kick at the man, but to no avail. In a last resort, he pulled out the keys he'd stolen, and threw them over his shoulder. Whether or not they got to Cyborg was anyone's guess.

"Let me show you how I deal with spoiled children!" He clenched his fist tighter, and Nevid started to see stars.

"Let me show you how _I_ deal with thugs!" Circuit threw an electrified Birdarang at Plague's chest, but it impacted his knee. It still hurt, however.

"Nice throw. Aim higher next time." Dick advised, handing over a black metal disc. Circuit electrified it too, and sent it whirling at the two figures in front of them. It exploded, and sent shrapnel into Plague's face!

"Ah!" He screamed and released Nevid, who gratefully rolled towards his two friends.

"Finally! What took you so long?" Nevid gasped.

"Sorry, wheelchairs and stairs don't mix well." Dick apologized. He handed another weapon to Circuit, right as Cyborg walked out of the darkness.

"I put in an elevator, you know."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

**[Author's note: In this next chapter, a lot of what we consider to be the defining points for the Teen Titans will change. Most of all, the location of their home base. Much more of the back-story will be wrapped up, and there shouldn't be many more questions about the series or the story line I have created. I will be reducing the team slightly for a few chapters, but I am also bringing in many more supportive characters. As always, please, leave reviews! Any and all suggestions are welcome, even if they are negative. I appreciate all of the over 1100 views this story has received, and I hope you all continue to enjoy this story.]**

"Is that all you've got?" Plague's voice echoed around the dark basement, and the four Titans tensed up for another round.

"Did you really think that I hadn't planned on this? Did you really think my master was so foolish as to leave a single detail unaccounted for?" His voice was rasping, and Nevid sensed a desperate edge to it. He had to know he stood no chance against all four of them.

"My master will see you and all those like you burning in your own graves!" Nevid tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from, but he wasn't the only master of deception in the room. Dick pulled out another birdarang, and flicked it open as the hidden man spoke again.

"But my time is short. All of our times are short! I will only have the chance to kill one of you… which shall it be?" A pipe burst somewhere in front of them, and steam started to fill the room. Cyborg cracked his knuckles and scanned the room with his electronic eye.

"The leader? Shall he be the first to die? Without his guidance the rest will be lost…" Nevid honestly didn't know who Plague was talking about; him or Dick. Did it matter? Was that what Plague was hoping for? Dick seemed to catch the same idea, and wheeled a little farther forward, so that he sat next to Nevid.

"The muscle? I'm not sure you escaped, tin man, but I assure you, next time I will not bother with chains!" Cyborg snarled, and scanned the cloud of steam seeming to form to his left. They all turned to the left, and prepared for a fight.

The steam materialized, took the form of a man… and then dissipated. Cyborg didn't even have time to grunt in surprise before Plague _actually_ struck.

"Or maybe the weakest of you all!" Circuit was grabbed from behind, hauled into the air, and jerked away from the rest of them! Plague held him off of his feet in a chokehold, and grinned maliciously at Nevid.

"You really should watch your pets more carefully! This one was so easy to catch…" He squeezed tighter, and Circuit's eyes bugged out. Cyborg leveled his cannon at the man, and Dick gripped his birdarang tighter.

"You think you'll get out of this alive? Let him go, and we'll lock you up instead of burying you!" Nevid shouted. Plague shook his head.

"I have no hope of life past this point, little boy! And neither do you!" Plague lifted Circuit higher, and slammed him down to the concrete as hard as he could! Cyborg fired, Robin through, and Nevid leapt forward as Plague drew a knife from his belt. Once again, time seemed to slow down.

Cyborg's blast would stun him. Dick's bladed birdarang would finish him. Nevid could deflect the blade. But Plague was just two seconds ahead of them. The knife flew towards Circuit's neck. Nevid watched in shock and horror as his best friend's life seemed to end in front of him. But it didn't.

"Leave him alone!" The blade was a hair's breath from Circuit's neck as the dark shadow enclosed him. Cyborg's blast hit, so did Dick's birdarang, and finally, Nevid landed in front of Ciruit, and incidentally, Raven.

"Well, that was a… neat trick…" Plague stumbled backwards, looking at the spiky red object embedded in his chest. He hit a pipe, and slowly slid down.

"Too bad… it won't save… you…" With a final hacking cough, he was silent. Nevid whirled around to see Circuit's unconscious and broken body in Raven's arms. She looked down on him as if she were about to break too, and wrapped him in her cloak.

"He's hurt. Badly." She whispered. Nevid knelt down beside her, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You saved his life."

"Uh guys? We gotta go, now!" Cyborg shouted. He was staring at one corner of the room, and looked ready to bolt.

"What is it?" Dick wheeled closer, and his face paled.

"A bomb! He rigged the tower to blow! We gotta get out now!" Cyborg whirled around and headed for the stairs. He didn't have enough time to take a single step. Nevid stared in shock as the light appeared at the foot of the stairs, the corner where Cyborg was, and reflected off of the pipes around him. Raven clutched Circuit tighter, and wrapped her cloak around Nevid as well.

The outer wall burst in, and sunlight streaked through the hole. A solitary figure of a woman in a suit of armor flew in.

Raven and her two friends slowly slid down, into the ground, as shadows engulfed them. Raven didn't have the time or the power to take all of them. Nevid caught one last look at the three Titans in the collapsing tower as Raven sucked them into oblivion.

"No!" Nevid said bolt upright in bed, still screaming from his nightmare. He ripped the sheets off and jumped to the ground, no caring that he was barefoot and shirtless. He ran past the curtain divider and out to the main chamber.

"He's still here." Raven said softly, stopping Nevid as he ran to the table. Circuit lay on the top of it, still unconscious, while Raven worked on him.

"I… I had a bad dream…" Nevid panted. Circuit didn't move; it would take a lot more than noise to wake him.

"He's stable, for now. He has a concussion, four broken ribs, a fractured jaw, and his shoulder was dislocated, but I didn't realize that until a moment ago. I'm still worried about internal bleeding, though." She frowned and stared at the boy.

"Help me roll him over, will you?" Nevid nodded and stepped around to other side of the table and gently rolled Circuit onto his side. Nevid held his arm, and looked again at the bruised, battered face of his friend.

"Ok, back down, slowly…" They carefully set him down, and Raven sighed.

"He doesn't appear to have any unusual bruising on his back, but I can't tell anything about the front." She shook her head and sat down.

"It's up to him now." Nevid stared for a minute longer, and then pulled up a chair next to the woman.

"I haven't had a chance to thank you yet." Nevid said morosely.

"You shouldn't. We left four people behind. _I_ left four of our friends to die." Raven's voice cracked, and she looked on the verge of tears.

"You couldn't have done anything! Any more load on your concentration and none of us would have made it out! You know that!" Nevid tried to comfort her, but it worked about as well as that usually did.

"I could have tried." They both sat in silence for a moment, and listened to Circuit's labored breathing.

"Circuit has a lot of scars." Raven noted, glancing at the boy's chest and arms. Nevid snorted.

"We all do. Not all of them physical, either." Raven glanced at the teenager sitting beside her, and seemed equally surprised at his collection.

"Where did you get all of these?" Raven asked, tracing a particularly nasty one with her finger. Nevid sighed and shook his head.

"It's terrible, but I honestly have no idea where most of them came from. We get into a fight, we get hurt, we walk it off, and a week later I finally get a chance to bathe and see the new additions. Your guess is as good as mine." Nevid explained, suddenly a little self conscious. He reminded himself to sleep in more than a pair shorts next time.

"And all these years I thought I had a bad childhood." She almost laughed at the thought.

"And yet you two make me look like a privileged rich kid…"

"We all have a past. My father is dead. Yours rules the underworld. Circuit's was executed. None of us have good childhoods." He leaned back in the chair and stretched. The Titan's Bunker was an ok hideout, but it lacked space. Circuit obviously slept on the table, but Nevid had made it a habit of finding something to do upstairs when Raven was changing. There was only so much privacy.

"Do you think they could have survived? The others, I mean?" Raven asked. Nevid shook his head.

"Raven, these people have survived the end of the world ten times over. I doubt a building falling on them will really even register on their lists of 'bad days'." Nevid assured her. But on the inside, he wasn't so sure. Della wasn't as experienced. Raven had gone _down_ through the tower, instinctively relying on powers she thought she no longer possessed. Apparently she did, which made Nevid wonder to no end. Starfire had flown back, down, and then forward, _through_ a concrete wall. Where did that leave Della? He remembered again the scene. Starfire had been there, but she'd been alone. Where was the girl he now realized he loved?

"Hello?" Starfire knocked on the enormous door hesitantly, and hoped against hope someone would here her. She folded her arms, and winced as another strand of bent armor sliced into her skin. She angrily pulled it off and threw it into the wind.

They were at Wayne Manor, the only place Starfire could think to bring Dick. He was hurt, badly, and no hospital in JumpCity was up for a new patient. Or any patient, for that matter. Starfire took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock again when the door was opened, slightly.

"Who is it?" An older man in his seventies peered out at her.

"I am Starfire, one of the Titans of Jump City. Is Bruce Wayne here?" She asked hesitantly. The man squinted at her, and then nodded.

"You're speaking to him." Starfire blushed at her blunder, and turned to look behind her.

"My friend is hurt, and I…"

"Dick!" The man shoved her aside with surprising force, and bent down to look at the limp form on his lawn.

"He is badly injured and I…"

"Did the right thing. Help me get him inside." Starfire held the door open as Bruce carried the prostrate form of Dick Grayson into the manor.

"This cavern is impressive. It must serve as a worthy fortress." Starfire commented, looking around the dark cave. Bats flew overhead, and a giant computer screen loomed over her. Dick was lying on a metal table in front of it, while Bruce sat beside him.

"It was more of a hideout than a fortress, but yeah, it worked." He stood up and offered his hand to the woman.

"Thank you for bringing him here. He's the closest thing I have to family." Starfire brushed his hand aside and wrapped him in a tight hug. The older man grunted and tensed up, obviously unused to hugs.

"Family of Robin's is family of mine. I am glad to finally meet you!" She burst, tears spilling down her cheek.

"Robin, eh? He still uses that name?" Bruce asked quickly, untangling himself from her. She took the hint and released him, but shook her head.

"When I met him, he was called Robin, but now, he prefers Dick. I do not know why." They both stared at the unconscious man lying on the table. He was better, but still not completely recovered. Starfire had no idea what was wrong with him, and if Bruce did, he wasn't forthcoming with details.

"He thinks he failed the city, and what's more, the identity. He won't use the name Robin voluntarily for a very long time." Bruce explained.

"You sound as if you know his thoughts." Starfire said, looking again at the strange old man.

"I do. They used to call me something besides Mr. Wayne, you know…" Bruce sat back down in his chair, stroking his chin with his hand.

"What happened at the old Tower? I bankrolled that place, you know." Starfire was surprised and impressed; she hadn't heard that detail before.

"It collapsed on top of us." Bruce seemed more than a little surprised at this.

"Really? That Cyborg kid seemed like a decent engineer!"

"It was not his fault that tower came down! It was sabotaged by our enemies." Bruce held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Sorry! I didn't know. Must have taken a heck of a bomb…"

"It was. And I am not so sure my other friends made it out." Her last comment seemed to sober them both, and Bruce sighed.

"I've lost teammates too. I know how that goes."

"You were a Titan as well?" Starfire asked naively. She sat down on a second chair Bruce had provided.

"No, I'm afraid not. I was part of a team called the Justice League." His eyes seemed to go misty as he spoke. Robin still breathed peacefully, and looked noticeably better.

"Is this Justice League still around?" Starfire asked, staring at her friend as well.

"In a way." Bruce sighed, and obviously didn't feel like telling the story, but Starfire looked on expectantly.

"We disbanded. All of our members went their separate ways." He stood up and turned to face the massive computer behind them.

"I don't suppose you watch the news? No, of course not. They don't report it right anyway. The world is at war, and vigilantes like myself are no longer needed, or wanted." Bruce brought up a map of the world, but the borders looked off.

"Mexico and Canada both invaded the U.S. At first, the League called for peace, but then all Hell broke loose." Starfire cut in, and very sternly corrected him.

"I have seen Hell, sir, and I assure you, it has not broken loose." Bruce nodded an apology and continued.

"Forgive me. All chaos broke loose. The League disbanded, and every 'hero' returned to their own country to fight. The U.S. wasn't strong enough to face economic sanctions from Europe_and_ fight a ground war with our supposed allies. The Canadians think they're liberating the North East from a dictator, and they're not far off. The Mexicans claim to be reclaiming their ancestral lands. They're not far off either. The U.S. federal government fell apart, and it was up to individual states to defend themselves. That didn't go well." Bruce pointed at the exact middle of the U.S., defined by a red border.

"These are the new United States. Wyoming, Nebraska, the Dakotas, now one Dakota, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and Arkansas all banded together. The rest were either taken by Mexico or Canada. You're living in Mexico now, F.Y.I." Starfire watched with as much interest as she could muster, but that wasn't saying much. She'd never followed Earth politics very well.

"The United States was not always like this?" She asked carefully. Bruce sighed, and shut off the monitor.

"No, it wasn't. But that doesn't matter to me as much as how it happened." He sneered as he spoke, and seemed to shake with rage.

"Some former League members led the charge! Their countries called, and super-powered men and women from across the globe returned home and enlisted. America's heroes weren't enough to stand against the tide of foes and friends alike marching on our homes. We couldn't bear to fight each other, and so we all lost. That was five years ago." He shifted in his chair, and leaned on the armrest.

"Now Earth's former heroes are being hunted down and blamed for the world's instability. 'It was the League that started this war!'" He spit in the dust.

"Pathetic. Now we're all on somebody's hit list. Most have survived, and are now hiding from the countries they technically work for. The rest of us, the ones who refused to hide, or fight, they died. To a man, they all died." Starfire seemed to understand the significance of this.

"Robin often spoke of you, and another man, called Superman. Did he…?"

"He took a Cryptonite bullet to the head for his views on world wars." Starfire gasped, and then looked back at Robin.

"I am sorry."

"We all are. The one hope I had was that JumpCity had survived. Then I heard the news from one of my few remaining friends. Is it really gone?"

"Our city has been captured just like the rest. The army has sealed off JumpCity, but come to think of it, I am not sure which army that is. Terra, once our friend, now rules the city in the shadow of her dead master, Slade." Bruce suddenly looked much older, and Starfire wondered if she'd underestimated his age. He sighed, and rested his head in his hands.

"The League called him 'Death Stroke'. He was a master assassin. I was shocked when I heard he was dead."

"I'm sorry." It took both Bruce and Starfire a moment to realize where the voice had come from. But then Dick sat up, and they realized it had been him. He pulled his tattered clothes closer around him, and looked up at Bruce.

"You taught me never to kill. I'm sorry." He was weeping, and looked ready to collapse again. Bruce stood up and took the man in his arms.

"Dick, it's alright, calm down…"

"I'm sorry I let you down…" Dick didn't embrace his old mentor, he just sat there miserably. Starfire's heart broke to watch her friend weep so pathetically, but she didn't know what to do.

"Listen to me!" Bruce shook the man, and forced Dick to look at him.

"You didn't let me down! Throughout all of this, you survived! That's all I wanted from you! To survive! To show me that not all of my apprentices were destined to die!" Bruce's voice cracked, and the weight of his meager frame seemed to be too much for him. He sank back into his chair, and looked feebly out at the glass racks to their left. Starfire followed his gaze, and recognized each suit in turn.

Batman. Robin. Batgirl. And a tuxedo that she couldn't place. Dick looked too, and gasped at the sight.

"That's…"

"Alred's. Eight years ago. I thought it belonged down here, with the rest of them…" Bruce explained, choking up as he spoke.

"We are the only ones left. Barbara and Jason both fell before Alfred. I think that's what did him in. Watching all of us just wither away…" Both men just sat there, bathing in the depressing memories. Starfire couldn't take it anymore. She reached into the brown leather bag she'd faithfully carried all that way and slammed it down next to Dick.

"You see this?" She ripped open the bag and pulled out a large titanium plate.

"This was made by Victor Stone. We knew him as Cyborg. He didn't make it out of that Tower, but he made this for you. To give you back your legs." Dick seemed surprised, and Bruce even more so. He hadn't been aware that Dick had lost them.

"He is gone. But he did not die so that we could sit and fade into the shadows again!" She shouted. Her voice echoed eerily around the cavern. And she wasn't done.

"Terra took everything from us! Our city should have been a bastion of hope in a time of crisis! Instead, it was the first to fall! I will not let our friends die in vain. I will fight to free our city, if it is the last thing I do!" She stared hard at her friend, and he stared right back.

"This is my fault. I caused all of this. It was my mistake that let our city fall." Bruce looked up at him, as if ready to disagree. Dick didn't let him.

"And it will be _my_ team that brings it back. Whatever the cost. I can't let children fight for us. I can't let them die for us, while we spend all of our time nursing old wounds. It's time to get back in the fight." He finally turned to Bruce.

"I'm no doctor. But I know that you've sewn us up a few times. Feel like taking a crack at this?" Robin handed him the plate, and Bruce looked it up and down.

"I can try."

"Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…" Raven levitated in the center of the room, her back to the table where Circuit lay.

"Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…" She repeated, over and over again. Her cloak fell to the ground, but her hood remained tightly in place.

"Azarath… Metrion…" She stopped, her concentration momentarily broken. Someone was knocking on something. She turned to Nevid, who was lifting weights in the corner. He stopped, set the bar down, and looked towards the door. Someone was knocking!

Nevid silently turned invisible, reached for the door, and then ripped it open.

"Finally! I thought you were all asleep or something…" Della loudly complained. She was going to say more, but Nevid interrupted her. He hugged her tightly against him and kissed her, catching her completely off guard. They both just stood there, while Raven looked past them at their other visitor.

"Aqualad!" She squeezed past the two teenagers and hugged the man covered in blue scales, who merely smiled back.

"Raven! Good to see you again!" Emotional babbling followed, and both newcomers were led inside.

"How did you get here?" Nevid finally asked, still not releasing Della's hand.

"She fell into the ocean. Thankfully, I was in the neighborhood." The tall, dark haired man replied with a sly smile.

"It's been a long time! How is Atlantis?" Raven demanded eagerly.

"It's fine. The surface seems to have gone up in flames though. Where are the rest of the Titans?" His perpetually wet, long black hair was pressed tightly against the back of his neck, though he brushed aside a rebellious strand every now and again.

"We don't know. We thought Della was gone too, until you showed up."

"Yeah, I was all for taking little red here back to Atlantis and making a mermaid of her, but she insisted she knew where you'd be." Aqualad smiled and nodded at Della, who still seemed overwhelmed at the reunion.

"I don't look good wet, and the whole tail thing didn't sound fun. Besides, I was worried about you two." She finally seemed to notice Circuit, and her face paled from the fiery red it had turned a minute ago.

"Is he…?"

"Recovering. He took a hard hit." Nevid said sadly, staring at his friend. No one spoke; they all sat quietly in thought. There was still someone missing…

"_Error: catastrophic damage. Recommend reboot of all systems."_

"_Error: catastrophic damage. Recommend reboot of all systems." _Cyborg hated seeing that message in the morning. He made a mental note to change it. He reached for the alarm clock, but couldn't quite find it.

"_Error: catastrophic damage. Recommend reboot of all systems."_

"Come on, give me a break! I just took a little hit, that's all… BB's waffles have done me worse…"

"_Error: catastrophic damage. Recommend reboot of all systems." _Cyborg tried to roll over, but was pinned tight.

"_Error: catastrophic damage. Recommend reboot of all systems."_

"Hey, what's going on here…" His electronic eye wasn't working. Neither was his real one. He blinked away the soot and ash, and startled a seagull. The creature squawked pitifully and flew off. Cyborg looked past it at the shore, the ocean, and the pile of rubble on top of him.

"Hello?" He called out. But he realized he'd just been talking in thought. His mouth wouldn't move. It was crammed full of rebar.

"Help me… Somebody… Help me!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

"I don't like this." Nevid said for the hundredth time.

"I know." Della responded, starting to get annoyed.

"I don't know why Raven trusts him so much."

"He hasn't given us any reason _not_ to trust him…" Della reminded him gently. Nevid shook his head and walked back down the stairs to the bunker.

"That doesn't mean we should just hand fish-boy one of our friends and say 'bring him back when he's fixed'!" Nevid angrily swung at the punching bag set up in their 'gym', and Della watched him go.

"Nevy, Atlantis has the best medical center on Earth! Circuit is going to get better and then geek out about being in the lost city of Atlantis!" Della said with a smile. She was almost jealous of her cousin. A magical city under the ocean, where there was peace and tranquility, and your biggest worry is trying to stomach seaweed-based meals… Della didn't think that sounded too bad.

"Atlantis has its problems, just like Jump City. And don't call me Nevy." Nevid seemed to read Della's mind, and she left it alone.

"Alright, fine. Be stressed about it. I'm going to see what Raven's doing." Della started to walk away, but Nevid stopped her after a second.

"Don't bother." He let the punching bag swing back towards him, and stopped it with his hand.

"She's meditating and trying to control powers she thought she didn't have." The tone of Nevid's voice caused Della to raise an eyebrow.

"You think she was lying?" Della asked quietly, stepping closer to Nevid.

"I don't know. Maybe to herself as well as us. I mean, how do you just _lose_ powers? She's half angel, half demon. She was born in the closest thing to heaven we're ever going to see, and one day she's just a normal girl with no abilities? Oh, except flying and broodiness." Nevid leaned back against the wall and folded his arms. Something about it didn't add up, and it had been annoying him as of late.

"I don't know Nevid." Della fingered the crystal around her neck, as she often did when nervous.

"I can't control my powers without a crystal stolen from Azarath! Maybe she didn't lose her powers; she just lost her control of them. Like rewiring a light switch without touching the bulb." Nevid snorted and shook his head.

"I don't know. I know what I can do. I know what I can't do. It's not a matter of control for me; it's just instinct. I just hope she's all there. Star and Dick are A.W.O.L.; The little mermaid's ugly cousin took off with Circuit, and Cyborg is…" He didn't dare say the word, even with Raven out of sight.

"I don't know. I'm just not keen on being left with the…" He slowed and stopped as the woman in question walked into the room. She angrily brushed her hair out of her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"Left with the what? Go on, finish it." She stared at Nevid like a bear stares at a piece of meat. But Nevid held his ground.

"With someone I can't fully trust. Heck, you barely trust yourself!" To prove his point, Nevid threw a weight at Raven, flicking it out of his hand like a tennis ball. She instinctively caught it in mid-air, and let it clatter to the ground. But her arms remained folded; she'd caught it telekinetically.

"See, a month ago, you said that was impossible. So do you have your powers back? Were they given to you? Or did you ever lose them in the first place?"

"Nevid!" Della hissed at him, and he stopped his assault. Raven just stood there, glaring.

"You're right Nevid. I don't know what's happening with my body, or my mind. Last time this happened the lord of Hell, my father Trigon, showed up on my doorstep and tried to kill my friends. The time before that, Slade was trying to induct me into the prototype for his S army. I once stopped time, and I've very close to killing people with my mind alone. I don't know what's happening to me." At this, she stalked towards the door.

"And neither do you." The door slammed, leaving Nevid and Della alone in the dark bunker. This was usually the time when Circuit cracked a joke. Or when Della tried a desperate flirtatious move on Nevid. Or when Nevid snapped out of it and pulled them all together. But none of that happened. Della looked at Nevid, who looked at his shoes. The door slammed again, and Nevid was left alone.

"Raven, Nevid is an idiot. And worse, he's stressed about Circuit. Don't let him bother you." Della put a hand on Raven's shoulder, but the older woman didn't respond.

"Don't insult your friends. Stick with them. And he was right, by the way." Della didn't know what to say, so she just sat at the table Raven had chosen and tried to look comforting.

"I'm not myself. I'm not sure who I am. Losing Beast Boy, and then Cyborg… I just don't know." A single tear slid down her face, and she wiped it away in surprise.

"I couldn't do that when I was your age. If I was upset enough to cry, the walls would be shaking and the furniture would float. I was too powerful to let my emotions rule me." Raven explained. Della shrugged, and scooted closer to her.

"I have to have emotions to control my power. It's when I'm sitting alone and start thinking about how terrible life is that I lose control. I have to be laughing or I'm crying. I have to be crying or I'd be dead. It's just how I work." Now that she said it out loud, it sounded like she was bragging, and Della immediately regretted speaking.

"I need to fix this." Raven said slowly. She stood up, and pulled her hood over her head.

"I'm going to be gone for a while. Take care of Nevid, he needs you." With that, Raven floated up and through the roof, vanishing in shadows. Della watched her go, and then sighed. She stared around at the empty pizza restaurant.

"And now I'm alone…" She said to herself. The girl at the door shrugged.

"Not quite…"

* * *

><p>"How do you feel Robin?" Starfire asked anxiously, holding the man's hand tightly.<p>

"Like that time the puppet master put me into a doll. How much longer?" Dick said through gritted teeth. Starfire watched as Bruce set a bone disk on the table, and she shuddered visibly.

"Ah, I think it is almost over…" She looked hopefully at Bruce, who blew a strand of gray hair out of his eyes and shook his head.

"Maybe just a little longer…" She tried very hard to keep her focus on Dick.

"You know, I'd been working on something, back at the tower…" Dick managed to say, breathing heavily. He was on anesthetics, but not large amounts.

"A new suit, and some new equipment… to replace the old stuff. Red and yellow and green and black seem kind of HOLY…" His face turned red, his jaw dropped, and he was unable to speak.

"Oops… not there, not there…" Bruce hurriedly snipped something with a pair of scissors, and Starfire had no desire to know what had happened.

"OH! Ok, that's better…" Dick put his head back down on the table, and just lay there for a moment. He was shirtless, covered in a surgical gown, and had a large amount of flesh lying against his right side. His shattered spine was on display for the very disturbed woman watching the whole thing.

"Hey Star… is anything licking my left foot…" Dick asked in a slurred tone.

"I… do not think so…" Starfire looked down the table and past Bruce.

"No, there is nothing licking you. Did you want there to be something licking you…?"

"Oh no, no, it just felt funny… like an electrified blueberry…" He slipped into unconsciousness, and Bruce stiffened up.

"Uh oh…"

* * *

><p>"How goes the western campaign?" Aquaman asked, stepping up to his command table. Six Atlantian generals stood by him, each nervous and yet confident at the same time. Their leader was tall, young, (for an Atlantian) and very sure of himself. But Atlantis was at war, and everyone was nervous. Even when they were winning, these men tasked with protecting their city felt the constant stress of their job.<p>

"Well, my lord."

"And the northern front?"

"Well, as well, my lord."

"And what about our new trainees? I hear the sergeant has been drilling them incessantly." Aquaman joked.

"Ah, yes, my lord, we want them to be prepared to face this new threat." Aquaman nodded gravely.

"All these years and Tritan just won't stop. I thought me and the green kid had it handled when we buried him and his clones in that hole…" He thought for a minute longer.

"Alright. Redirect the troops from the southern reserves and have them flank Tritanic positions here and here." He pointed to the large map with his gloved hand.

"And have these units fall back to this ridgeline. I want them to dig in and be prepared for a long siege; we won't be able to bring any men their way for a while. Don't worry guys; we've got this!" All six generals cringed at his use of the word 'guys', but they said nothing. Technically, he was outranked by everyone there. But their king was doing was his best. Atlantis had been spared most of the problems the surface had seen. Its leader especially seemed immune to hardship. It seemed like a paradise; Atlantis, the city under the sea…

Until Tritan attacked. The mutated Atlantian was convinced that his form of life was the perfect form, and spent all of his time cloning himself. Aqualad and the Titans had supposedly locked Tritan in a cavern far under the ocean's surface where he could be as self centered as he liked. Apparently leaving him with his cloning technology intact hadn't been the best idea…

Aqualad shook the thought as he moved the city, headed for the hospital. Circuit had been recovering there in his own personal air bubble, courtesy of a few of Atlantian spell-weavers.

"Hey there kid! You look better!" Aqualad smiled as he saw the teen flirting with one of the nurses. He had a huge grin plastered on his face, despite the heavy bandaging on him.

"How could I not be? This place is amazing!" The hospital was a classic Roman style of architecture; a huge stone dome stood above them, supported by round pillars and thick walls. The room was octagonal, and each archway led to another wing of the hospital. Circuit had the privilege of using the center room only because of his special circumstances.

"It is pretty cool." Aqualad stepped into the bubble of air and hopped up on the bed next to Circuit.

"I wish Nevid and Della could see this." The teen was suddenly a little less enthusiastic.

"I think they'll just be glad to hear you're ok. What happened to you, anyway? Did a building fall on top of you?" Aqualad joked, not realizing how close to him he'd hit. Circuit just nodded grimly.

"Yeah, actually. And a giant S soldier. He actually hurt worse than the building, which I didn't see too much of." They sat in an awkward silence for a moment, neither sure of what to say.

"My lord!" Four soldiers swam through the doorway, knocking two technicians over. The scaly mermen were not amused, but stood aside as they saw the fear in the mens' eyes.

"What is it?"

"The western side of the city is under attack! We assumed the plains of Gonorra weren't held by the Tritanic army, but they are flooding into the city!" Aqualad tensed up and jumped down.

"Have the palace guard escort the civilians into the shelters! Shut down the streets, and set up a perimeter around key structures!"

"Yes my lord!" The hospital suddenly became a frenzy of activity as more Atlantians searched for and found Aqualad and the injured started piling in. He almost didn't notice when the air bubble nudged him on the shoulder.

"Hey! You need a hand?" Circuit asked curiously. Aqualad looked skeptically at his taped up face.

"You need to stay here, you're still…" He got no further, as a trident flew through the water, and came within an inch of hitting Aqualad! It instead pierced Circuit's bubble and harmlessly clattered to the floor. But the thrower wasn't done.

"We are perfection!" A scaled, green man with ridges covering his head and deep orange eyes glared out at the two.

"Perfection sucks at throwing!" Circuit flipped the trident up, and threw it back at the creature! It hit with deadly accuracy, and electrified the surrounding water for a split second. Circuit cracked his knuckles and looked back at Aqualad.

"I'm fine. Let's defend your people!"

* * *

><p>"AAAHHH! Please, no more!" Dick screamed out in agony, and Starfire struggled to hold him down. Bruce was sweating out of his skin, and his hands were shaking. Starfire had tears streaming down her face, and the device that was supposed to save Dick beeped and squealed in protest along with the rest of them.<p>

"Please, please make it stop!"

* * *

><p>"Who are you? What do you want?" Della asked feebly, trying to talk around the gag. The girl with dark black hair merely laughed.<p>

"I'm complicated. And I want you. I want to know what you know. And for Pete's sake, where are the _clothes_ around here?" She twirled a strand of hair around her finger and watched her prisoner closely. Nevid thought she was mad and off pouting again. Raven was who knew where. And no one else could possibly know to come for her. This insane girl had Della right she wanted her. Della closed her eyes and concentrated. The crystal glowed, and her hands ignited.

"Raven, you have come before this council, why?"

"To demand answers. And to reclaim what is mine, mother."

"You have truly come far, and yet you still ask the simplest of questions." Raven glared up at the woman in white.

"Then give me the simplest of answers. My world burns, and Azarath does nothing. When will you come to our aid as I asked you to?"

"When you do as I have asked!"

* * *

><p>"Please… Please… Someone… Help me…" Cyborg knew no one could hear him. His mouth was still crammed full of metal. But he'd chewed through another strand today. His right arm was crushed beyond repair. His left was furiously moving back and forth, and inch at a time, trying to free itself. His one remaining eye looked out at the ocean that haunted him… Water, so close, and yet so far. Sweat trickled down into his eye.<p>

"Please… Please… Someone… Help me…"


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 18**

**{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans Characters or locations used in this story. I own only the three characters I have created.}**

**[Author's note: I apologize for not updating recently; I took a short break for the holidays, but intend to start updating more frequently. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please leave any comments or criticisms you might have.]**

"Let… me… go!" Della growled, struggling fiercely against the cheap rope. She was tied up in a dark alley, and an unknown girl in black was standing over her.

"I will, in a little bit." The girl leaned up against a dumpster and twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

"First, I have questions. Important questions." She said in an overly dramatic voice.

"Forget it! You're insane!" Della practically spit the words, and struggled to contain her emotions. Her necklace had been stolen, and now resided around the new girl's neck. Her powers were still there, but if she lost control…

"I am not!" The girl suddenly snapped. She slapped Della, hard, and glared down at her. Della cried out as the blow landed, and then stared right back into her tormentor's eyes.

"When I get out of these…." Della threatened.

"You'll run home to that hunk of a boyfriend, and you'll both track me down to the ends of the earth… blah blah blah." She punctuated each word with a twirl of Della's necklace.

"Be careful with that!" Della snapped, watching as the precious gem twirled higher and higher in the air."

"This?" The girl spun it around her finger, and regarded it closer.

"Azarathian Focus Gem. Dime a dozen, I'm afraid. I hope the hunk didn't give you this; that's like giving a girl a dress two sizes too small…" She returned it to her neck, and paced the alleyway absentmindedly.

"If you know so much about us, what do you want to know from me so badly that you're willing to kidnap me?" Della asked, still struggling against her ropes.

"I have relatives here. Mean, nasty, angry old relatives that probably want to lock me up in a dark hole somewhere. That doesn't sound fun. But…" She held out her hands, as if weighing the options on an imaginary scale.

"The alternative is… less than pleasant. I'm hoping my old aunty will be kind and forgiving. But first, I need to know where she is!" The girl explained simply, resting a hand on Della's shoulder.

"Who on Earth is your aunt?" Della asked, wondering again at the girl's sanity. But before the girl could speak, they were suddenly illuminated by a flashlight.

"There! I've got two of them over here!" Della immediately recognized the uniform of an S soldier, standing in the alleyway!

"Oh come on…" The girl straightened up and flexed her arms.

"How many times do I have to tell you… Buzz off!" Della watched in shock as the teenaged girl, with no weapons, stared down an S soldier, who was calling for backup. Della struggled all the more against the rope, but couldn't break it. But as she watched, it quickly became apparent she didn't need to.

The girl stood calmly in the center of the alley, her arms at her sides. And then, as the flashlight hit her, Della realized that the soft tinkling she'd been hearing wasn't jewelry. It was armor. The same kind Starfire now wore. And right as a bullet was fired at the girl's head, a _blue _starbolt melted it in midair! Two more blue balls of energy rested on in each palm, and the strange girl advanced.

"All I ask…" A dumpster full of trash was thrown at the man.

"Is to be left…" Twin starbolts blasted another two guards as they rounded the corner.

"Alone!" She screamed the last word, and twin _beams_ of blue energy shot out, and fried what was left of the three men! Della watched in shock as the Tamaranian whirled around, looking towards the other end of the alley. There were more coming!

"Man, who are you people, and why are you so obsessed with me?" Automatic rifles fired, and the girl sank to her knees, dodging under the rain of lead! Six starbolts flew out and towards the men, which exploded all around them. Two were knocked off their feet, but the other _four_ were still firing! The Tamaranian girl kicked a trashcan into the air, spun around, and roundhouse kicked it down the alley! As it approached the men, she lit it up with another starbolt, and rotten, flaming garbage covered them! Two more were down now.

"Do you give up?" She asked tauntingly. The men ran away, probably scared out of their minds. But the Tamaranian wasn't done. She blasted holes in the buildings until a pile of bricks and mortar sealed the alley they'd retreated down, and examined her work with a smile.

"There. No more nasty interruptions." She turned back to a shell-shocked Della.

"So, where is Aunty Starfire keeping herself these days?"

"There's too many!" Aqualad shouted to be heard over the sounds of battle. Circuit held a sword and shield he kept electrified, staring at the line of advancing Tritans.

"Oh come on, this is nothing!" Circuit laughed. Another trident soared over their heads, which Circuit dodged easily.

"What is it like in Jump City that _this_," He gestured at the hundreds of soldiers marching towards them. "Is nothing?"

"It's worse than you can imagine." Circuit said in a quick moment of seriousness. Then a trident landed in between the two, cutting off further conversation.

"How about this? I'll draw them off to that intersection, and you bring those troops trapped in the library down to the power station. I'll meet you there with a whole lot of ugly, angry people chasing me!" Circuit suggested. Aqualad shook his head.

"No way! It's too dangerous!"

"I agree! Let's go!" Circuit held up his rounded shield and charged; his magic bubble struggling to keep up. The group of Tritans weren't expecting anything so bold, and Circuit was able to slice three of them to sushi before they rallied.

"Get the little one!" the apparent leader shouted, pointing at Circuit.

"I resent that!" Circuit laughed, dodging blows as he ran.

The army chased Circuit down a side street and towards the outer districts of Atlantis. One of the royal guardsmen pinned down beside Aqualad watched in wonder at the sight.

"That was the bravest thing I have ever seen." He said in a dumbfounded tone. Aqualad shook his head.

"Too bad he's only on loan. Come on, let's get moving!"

* * *

><p>"Y'all suck at throwing, F.Y.I.!" Circuit taunted, dodging yet another Trident. He was still running through the streets, with hundreds of Tritan soldiers chasing him. They were bearing down on him hard, and slowly gaining ground. Circuit had never been a fast runner, but he had the advantage, running through air instead of water. His bubble faithfully entombed him no matter how fast he ran, or in what direction. The Tritans were forced to swim or run, and neither option seemed capable of catching the boy.<p>

"Stop! Stop in the name of perfection!" The leader shouted again. Circuit laughed loudly, and started running backwards to taunt him.

"Perfection? Please, my cousin could kick your butt in two seconds, and she's a _girl_!" He shouted. Another trident was thrown, and Circuit caught this one. He electrified it, threw it back, and was rewarded by a scream from the advancing line.

"Pathetic!" He turned around and kept running, starting to get winded. _Ok, two more blocks, or districts, or whatever they're called, and I'm home free!_ He thought to himself.

The power plant was near the center of Atlantis, relying on the salinity of ocean water to power the entire city. It was efficient, advanced, and useful only in a place like Atlantis. Circuit had worked hard to understand how the thing worked, and he barely had the concept down. He'd had few times to study, however, since the city had been invaded.

"He's slowing! Quickly, catch him!" Circuit tried to put on more speed, but he was winded. _One more block…_ He egged himself on, his feet flying down the wet pavement stones. The stone architecture around him seemed to blur as he ran, and he hoped he was still going the right way. _One more right, please be there, please be there…_ Circuit rounded the corner, tripped on a cobblestone, and landed on top of a girl standing there.

"Well hello there." She said simply, staring down at the boy at her feet.

"Hey! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!" Circuit said honestly. The rest of the line of Atlantian soldiers laughed, and quickly prepared themselves for battle. The Tritans were right around the corner now.

"I bet you say that to all the girls!" She joked, bracing herself against her shield.

"No, only the ones with tails." Circuit said with a grin. The woman flicked her green scaled tail in anticipation, and the army of Tritans rounded the corner.

"For Atlantis!"

* * *

><p>"You're… Blackfire's daughter?" Della asked, still in shock at the thought.<p>

"You knew my mother?" The girl asked quizzically.

"No, I knew of her though. She and 'aunty Starfire' didn't get along that well." Della commented dryly.

"Hah, I guess not…" She leaned against the singed bricks and cleaned dirt out of her fingernail.

"Seems they fought over that one guy, what was him name, Bobin, Stobin…" She tapped her chin with one finger while she thought.

"Robin."

"That was it! Yeah, mom always had a thing for her. At least, that's my father told me." She suddenly turned sour, and sighed deeply.

"But they're both dead. So I'm here. Now, if I let you go, will you try to kill me?" She asked in a exaggerated voice. Della fought the urge to snarl at her, and nodded once.

"Alright, there we go! Much better!" The girl burnt off the ropes and helped Della up, who rubbed her hands to get the circulation back.

"And my necklace?" Della asked, trying not to sound too anxious.

"Huh? Oh, this thing?" She took off the simple chain and crystal and threw it back to Della.

"Sure. It doesn't go with my outfit anyway. Of course, black leather and steel plates really clash with everything…" She examined her armor up and down, as if criticizing the look of it.

"Of course, you're not in a much better boat yourself. What, is black denim in now?" She asked lazily.

"It's available, durable, and covers the important stuff." Della shot back.

"Oh, I gotcha." She said with a wink. "Well, maybe we can go on a shopping spree later! I hear there's an abandoned mall down the block that looks pretty good!" The strange girl was now chatting like she and Della were the best of friends. It unnerved Della.

"I never got your name." Della said sullenly. The girl tensed up, and spoke slowly.

"Oh uh, call me…" She thought for a moment, and then finished. "Rapida. That'll work." She pronounced it with a definite Hispanic accent, which confused Della.

"Alright, Rapida, you're looking for Starfire?" Della asked, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm afraid you're out of luck. We have no idea where she is." Rapida's face fell.

"Seriously?" She asked, crestfallen.

"Seriously. I can't even find Nevid, that 'hunk' you kept referring to! Raven took off a before you came, Nevid is somewhere on his own, and Circuit is off in Atlantis getting treated at a hospital. Dick, or Robin, as you'd know him, is A.W.O.L. as well, and Cyborg and Beast Boy are…" She struggled for the right word, and Rapida filled it in for her.

"Dead?"

"I'm afraid so." Both girls stood in silence for a minute, before Rapida snorted in frustration.

"Well that sucks."

* * *

><p>"What is it?" Three kids stood in the pile of rubble, looking down at what'd they'd scavenged that day.<p>

"Looks like a leg."

"Come on dummy, how man people leave legs lying around?"

"I don't know! But it looks like one!"

"Hey guys, I uh, I found an arm…" the fourth kid placed an arm on the pile of spoils, and they all examined the titanium plating carefully.

"Eww, there's still skin on it!" One kid yelled, starting to heave.

"Hey wait, do you hear that?" They all went silent, and listened closely. Above the roar of the sea, they _did_ hear something. It sounded like…

"Please, somebody, help me…"


End file.
